The Casualties of Love
by XxToToXx
Summary: Three years ago in the summer Zuko left Katara and married Mai. Now In the fall The seemingly happily married couple returns back to republic city. Zuko sees that Kataras had moved on and is happy, but not everything is as it seems. Hearts will be broken, hidden conspiracies arise, true feelings will be exposed and murderous intentions will be put into action.
1. Chapter 1

**Story Title**: The Casualties Of Love

**Author**: XxToToXx

**Full summary:** it three years ago in the summer that the Fire Prince left Katara and married Mai. Now In the fall

The seemingly happily married couple returns back to republic city. Zuko sees that Kataras had moved on and is happy, but not everything is as it seems. Hearts will be broken, hidden conspiracies arise, true feelings will be exposed and murderous intentions will be put into action. Love can make you do some crazy things.

Song used: Beyoncé- All I Could Do is Cry

**Prolouge **

**3 Years Ago**

_I heard church bells ringing_

_I heard the choir singing_

_I saw my love walk down the aisle_

_On her finger he placed a ring_

_Oh I saw them holding hands_

Everyone remained quiet as the beautiful angel sang besides the piano man. Her voice was so lovely and haunting, it shook them to their souls. What a glorious day it was today, everyone thought that the blushing bride and handsome groom made an amazing power couple.

_She was standing there with my man_

_I heard them promise til death do us part_

_Each word was a pain in my heart_

The groom sat solemnly as he held into his wife's hand. His smoldering honey eyes showed no emotion whatsoever. The bride, on the other hand had a look of arrogance about her. She knew that she won, and Katara lost.

_All i could do was cry_

_All I could do was cry_

_I was losing the man that I loved_

_And all I could do was cry_

She couldn't be mad because she should've seen it coming, she had no one to blame but herself. What gave her reason to believe someone such as Zuko Agni would ever settle down with someone of a different race such as her. It didn't matter that his father approved of her, and it diddn't matter how much his mother loved her. She's learned that you can't make some things happen, and you aurely can't make someone love you.

_And now the weddings over_

_The rice has been thrown over their heads_

_For them life has just begun_

_But mine is ending_

Today she lost the man she loved to another woman. Today was their wedding day and they'll Soon be moving back to The Fire Nation. No tears fell, because she was already all cried out.

_All I could do was cry_

_All I could do was cry_

_I was losing the man that I loved_

_And all I could do was cry_

When the song was done and the people applauded for her she bowed and smiled, for even though Mai won, she let her see.

She wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

She wouldn't give Zuko the satisfaction of seeing her upset, angry, or heartbroken. And when she left the wedding hall, he didn't come behind her. He'd made his choice and now she was going to make hers. She knew that she couldn't get those two and half years back that she spent with him, she couldn't replace lost time. In a way she was thankful for what he'd done to her, she learned a lot. All of the cheating and lies had scorned her enough. She blocked him from her heart and mind, but she could never block him from her memory.

She could never forget the way she loved Zuko Agni.

**Present day.**

Another dish goes flying across the large kitchen. The brunette ducked just in time before it could cold in contact with his head. Yells and angry shouts filled the lavish home, yet it was nothing new. Those walls have seen A lot and the neighbors have heard even more.

"As far as I'm concerned you can leave, I won't stop you!" She yells as she hurls another dish his way. "No matter what I say, you continue to go back and do the same thing over and over again.

"Katara, let me explain!" Jet ducks again, this time barely. He manages to knock her off of her feet and onto the tiled floor. He crushes his hand in the process but he finds the strength to hold the wild siren down.

"You need to calm down, Katara!" He tells her, a hard slap greets his cheek followed by a flurry punches and kicks. He tries to hold her wrists down but Spirits she's strong for someone so small.

She writhes and wriggles under his grasp, she shows no signs of tiring anytime soon. Finally using force he pins her arms above her head and places his knees on hers.

"Will you listen to me?" He shouts at her, "I said I didn't do it, I even have proof that I didn't do it."

"I don't care about your proof! That's probably a lie as well, now get off of me!"

"If I calm down will you promise not to attack me?"

"Fine," she grunts. With caution he eases off her. When she raises from floor he notices how her tank top had raised to above her stomach, showing the flat curviness off to the world. The black boyshorts that she wears hugs her hips wonderfully, and jet couldn't

Help but admire each and every tattoo that marks her body.

Then a sharp water whip comes flying and clucks him in the top of the head, he couldn't duck that one.

"That's for treating me like I'm some type of wild animal!" She calls as she walks away and into the foyer. There's mess everywhere; glass shards, broken vases, valuable statues were knocked over.

The house was used to it.

"With the way you were behaving I ha too, what did you expect? This couldn't go on all night Katara I have to work in a few hours!"

She leans over the balcony onces she's upstairs and frowns down at him. "So do I! Frankly, I don't give a flying fuck about your schedule. I'm done, I'm tired of arguing with you."

"You said that the last time. If you were really done then why are we still together?" He shouts up at her, "id love to know."

"I don't know." Katara says quietly to herself as she closes the door to her master bedroom loudly behind her. She checks her iPhone to see that she has multiple calls from Toph, Yue, and Suki. Se didn't find out of the ordinary, those three always called and texted her this late clowning. Ignoring them, she places the phone back down on the dresser.

She runs the water in the sink of her Versace master bath and looks at herself in the mirror. She has always been called exotically gorgeous, she scoffs.

Where was it now?

After washing her face she decides to get back into bed; it's three in the morning and she has to be at work for ten. She snuggles up under the thick covers of her king bed, but she can't sleep.

Her phone rings again, Again, and again. After a few more times she decides to get up and check it. They were text messages, when she opens the first one her eyes widen. Her heart skips a beat and the phone falls from her hands, she definitely wasn't prepared for this. The mesaage from Toph still stuck in her mind.

_Toph: He's back. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Story Title**: The Casualties Of Love

**Author**: XxToToXx

**Full summary:** it three years ago in the summer that the Fire Prince left Katara and married Mai. Now In the fall the seemingly happily married couple returns back to republic city. Zuko sees that Kataras had moved on and is happy, but not everything is as it seems. Hearts will be broken, hidden conspiracies arise, true feelings will be exposed and murderous intentions will be put into action. Love can make you do some crazy things.

_We built it up to watch it fall_

_Like we meant nothing at all_

_I gave and gave the best of me_

_But couldn't give you what you need_

_- Nick Lachey_

Chapter one:

"I don't know," she yells through the phone. "You know it gets busy around this time of the year, just make something up." She slams the phone back down on the receiver and let's out a long breath.

"Is this a bad time or something?" Yue asks from across the desk. "I can always come back later." She clutches tightly to her designer wallet in her hand.

"No, it's okay." Katara stands and takes off her doctors coat. She hangs it on the nearby rack in her office and grabs get purse. She now wears only a long sleeved white body suit and a knee length black high waisted skirt and heels. "Where were we going?"

"I was thinking Jukukus. We haven't been there in forever." Yue replies. Katara gets a good look at the girl as she buries her head in her phone once they enter the elevator. She certainly looks better than the last time she's seen her.

Her long white hair is pulled up in it's traditional hairstyle. Her makeup and nails are done as usual; Yue likes to keep herself up and loved to be pampered. She wears a halter top dress that flows around her and stops a little at her thighs, a jean jacket and sandals.

Yue is her brothers ex girlfriend. Sokka was torn between Suki and Yue, he couldn't be with one and leave the other alone. One day Yue realized that she'll never be the only one he loved and left him. Family functions were ways awkward, but it took some getting used to. But their breakup was a year and a half ago, it was no where near as messy as Kataras was.

Sokka moved on with Suki while Yue still stayed to herself. When Katara asked her when she would start dating again she would always brush her off. Yue says that she doesn't have time for romances at the moment, she'd like to work on herself more.

Katara understood that, but she wishes she would've taken the route that Yue did.

Now they drove through the streets of downtown republic city in Yues Mercedes Benz. it was rush hour traffic and it was pretty busy.

"So, about last night," Yue starts as she turns down the radio. "Toph was the first to find out, then she called me waking me up out my sleep. We just didn't want you to be taken by surprise."

"I know," Katara says as she leans back in the seat. "I'm okay though, really. I'm fine."

Once they were seated at a booth in the restaurant Yue looked at her menu, then back up at the girl.

"Are you sure your okay?" She asked again. Katara looked up her, Yue was is such a sweetheart and is like the sister she never had.

"You know, I'm fine. All he did was cheat on me for two years and then married someone else and insist that I sing at his wedding." She says as she closes her menu. "Just to rub it in my face." She adds quietly.

"Well, don't worry about him. It's republic city after all, you may not even see him." Yue assured her. They give the waitress there order and soon received their food.

"I hold I don't. I have too much on my plate already. I don't need to relapse again." Katara says as she stabs at her grilled fish. "Is the boutique still tht same?"

Yue nods and wipes her mouth with a napkin. "It's doing great actually, my father pulled some strings and now I have a project for the mayors daughter. Isn't that great?"

"That's really great, Yue!" Katara congratulates her.

"I know, I'm finally getting the recognition I've needed after all these years." She sighs in admiration, "so how this baby making thing going?"

Katara chokes on her water, "What baby making?"

"I thought you knew. Jet said that you two were trying to -"

"No, I've been on the pill for as long as I could remember. I'm twenty two I don't really have plans for a baby anytime soon." She turns her attention back to her food, "besides, I'm not really the motherly type."

"I think you should hold off as well, Katara. Just until you've found someone who you can picture yourself being with."

"Yeah, look how that turned out the last time." Katara chuckles. Yue says nothing but something behind the other woman catches her eyes, she gasps and covers her mouth.

"Oh my spirits," she whispers.

"What's wrong?" Kataras eyebrows come in together.

"You remember when I told you that you'd probably never see Zuko again because the city is so big?" Yue says smally, Katara nods at her slowly. "I was wrong."

Her big blue eyes widen As she whips around to the foyer of the restaurant. Sure enough, there he is.

Zuko Agni.

He was dressed to the nines in a black business suit. His hair was still the same; long, black and silky and pulled in a topknot at the top of his head. His watch gleamed in the sunlight as he signed in at the front desk, it wasn't hard to miss his wedding ring as well.

She feels her stomach do a series of back flips before she turns back around to face Yue. "Oh my gosh did he see you? Do you think he saw me?" She asks her.

"I don't think so, I don't see Mai anywhere either." Yue looks around all over. "We can still leave if you want to." She says softly.

"No, fine. He's the past and I won't let him run me, plus I was here first." Out of curiosity she looks back over her shoulder again and this time he catches her. She turns back around swiftly and mentally curses herself.

"Oh no, he's coming over here!" Yue says as she grabs money for the bill.

"What? For what!"

Just as Yue was about to reply the tall figure stalked over to their table.

"Good evening Yue," he says with a small wave. Yue smiles back a little awkwardly.

"Hey Zuko, long time no see." She says as she pulls on a strand of her white hair. She didn't know what was going to happen between the two, Katara never really had much control over her temper. Zuko didn't either, he was just as hot headed as her.

"Katara." He greets her separately. She only looks at him for a second before giving him a small and dry reply back.

He doesn't seem to satisfied with her answer but he doesn't speak on it. Katara doesn't care, his eyes linger on her a while.

"So how long are you staying? What made you come back to Republic city? Where's Mai?" Katara kicks the other girl under the table as hard as she could. Yue brushed it off expertly, this wasn't the first time a situation like this has happened.

"We're staying for good, it wasn't the same in the Fire Nation. Besides, all of our friends are here. Mai is out running errands, I just came for a quick meeting with a colleague of mine." He explains. Katara ignores the two the rest of the time and plays around on her phone. She didn't know why he was still there, he never really wanted to have conservation with Yue before.

"Are you guys staying at the same place or...?"

"No, We've bought a house on the beach, over in Tonigawa manor." He says. Katara pauses, Yues mouth forms in the shape of an "O".

Katara gathers her things and stands up from the table, "I think it's about time that I got back to the hospital now, Yue." She says while sliding out of the booth and walking towards the entrance.

"It was nice seeing you again, Katara." Zuko calls to her.

"Screw you!" She yells back as she bolts through the double doors. Yue kindly excused herself before going behind the girl.

"Can you believe that? Can you believe him?" Katara asks once in the car. "Just what is he trying to do?"

Yue shrugs, "Maybe he doesn't know

That you live in the same neighborhood. Don't worry, it's probably nowhere near your

House."

"There's only one house available, Yue and it's right across the street from me! The other homes have been taken up for years."

"Oh."

"I saw the moving van this morning before I left." She sighs heavily and places a hand on her forehead, "I never saw the new owners though."

Yue is quiet for a moment before she perks up again. "You know what we need? A mini vacation! We can get all the girls! By all I mean you, me, and Toph. We could all go on a trip somewhere for the weekend, how does that sound? It's been a while since we've all linked up." She leaves out Sukis name. Yue and Suki being together in a room is disastrous, not to mention awkward.

"That sounds great. I would, but I don't have any off days until next month."

"That's fine, as long as it's before winter." She replies. "We both need a break."

Yue is a fashion designer, and she's just recently opened her third shop. Her business is flourishing, but that's only because she stays buried in her work twenty four hours a day seven days a week. She knows the only reason she's doing that is to keep her mind off of Sokka. Today is the first day that Katara has seen her in a month and a half. Probably it's because she wanted to make sure that Katara was alright, then being best friends and all.

Katara is a surgeon a Roku Memorial hospital. She works early days and long nights with barely any days off. Sure, the pay is extremely excellent but she feels as though it's taking her away from enjoying her life the way she wants to. She shouldn't complain though, she was living her dream.

"I'll think about it. Thanks for the lunch, Yue. It'll be on me the next time." Katara thanks her as see exited the vehicle. Yue promises to call her and check on her later. The rest of the day goes by in a blur, And the girl cannot wait to get home and soak in a nice, hit bubble bath.

As she drives home in her black jaguar she thinks about what happened earlier in the restaurant. Not only was Zuko there to stay for good, but he's moving in the same neighborhood as her! Right across the street to be more precise.

She has a feeling that Mai was behind this. She'd do everything in her power to make her feel terrible and heartbroken all over again. Katara wasn't sad or feeling guilty about anything, she refuses to.

She would rather hate and despise Zuko than to be all emotionally riled up like a sixteen year old high school girl. She is an adult now so she will behave as one. As long as he stayed on his side they wouldn't have any problems.

She sees two cars at the now occupied home across the street from her house. One is a grey Lexus coupe and the other is a Ferrari. She scoffs and turns into her own driveway. Once inside she sees that everything is spick and span. Last night it looked like world war three had ran through her home. As she goes into the kitchen she notices Jet on the couch fast asleep with a magazine on his stomach.

She sits there and stares at him for a while. Before Zuko she had the biggest crush on Jet; he was just so handsome, mysterious and bad after Zuko abandoned her he was right there to pick up the pieces. They fought way more than they should but when they weren't fighting they were the perfect couple.

They fought because Jet still had hound ways. He would snag the attention of another female, especially when Katara is mad at him. She had feelings that he too was being unfaithful to her but she had no proof. They've been together for a year and a half now, they'd always have rocky moments, but what couple doesn't?

Even so she can't help but think that she deserves better. Somewhere in the back of her mind, somewhere in a dark corner of her heart she knows she does. She's attempted to leave Jet numerous times but he's such a smooth talker she always finds herself going right back to him.

With a sigh she gets out of her work clothes and changes into a t shirt and shorts. She decides to took dinner while she watches a new movie on the television. She'll go on with her life just as she had before. She won't let Zuko or Mai Agni disrupt her.

**READ AND REVIEW!**

**So, what did you guys think?**

**1) Did Mai and Zuko get the house directly across the street from Katara on purpose?**

**2)How do you feel about Kataras Character? About her and Yue being best friends?**

**3) This is my first full blown drama fanfic, how do you think it would play out? **


	3. Chapter 3

**Story Title:** The Casualties of Love

**Author: **XxToToXx

**Full summary**: it was three years ago in the summer that the Fire Prince left Katara and married Mai. Now In the fall, The seemingly happily married couple returns back to republic city. Zuko sees that Kataras had moved on and is happy, but not everything is as it seems. Hearts will be broken, hidden conspiracies arise, true feelings will be exposed and murderous intentions will be put into action. Love can make you do some crazy things.

_If you ask me how I'm doing_

_I'll say I'm doing just fine_

_I would lie and say that your not on my mind_

_But I go out And I sit down_

_at a table set for two_

_And finally I'm forced to face the truth_

_No matter what I say_

_I'm not over you_

_- Gavin Degraw_

**Chapter two:** Static

"Yo," Sokka waves at his family lazily as he opens the door to his parents home. "Is the food ready yet?" He asks as he walks through the foyer while tucking his bottle of cactus juice into his coat pocket.

His father turns and crosses his arms over his chest just as Sokka walks into the kitchen. Katara sniggers at the stove, she turns it off and brings a tray in to the formal dining room.

Sokka laughs nervously, "uh, hi dad?" He knows he's going to be roasted because he hasn't attended the family dinner in two weeks. They usually get together on Fridays and either go out or stay in. Even though they are grown and independent, family time is family time.

Their uncle Bato and his wife also came every now and then, and tonight is one of those now and then nights.

"Just where have you been?" Hakoda asks, "and for two weeks?" To Hakoda, family is very important to him. Especially since his wife died, he feels they should be closer than ever.

"I've uh, been busy you know? With suki being pregnant and all. You know how those women get when they have a bean in the oven."

Hakodas face softened then a humorous grin spread across his face. He places a strong grip on his sons shoulder and shakes him a bit as they walk into the dining room.

"I remember when your mother was pregnant with you and katara. You-" he points at Katata, "- made her the evilest woman on the planet, I was almost too scared to sleep in my own home!"

Kataras eye twitches, while Sokka howls with laughter as he sits down. Bato and his wife, Sange blink.

"And Sokka actually had her tranquil even though he kicked 24/6!" Hakodas chuckles.

"In the womb doesn't too much matter, Hakoda yet it did give an idea on what type of person they'd grow up to be." Bato starts in on his food, katara gives him a dry look.

"They've turned out to be wonder children, I can't wait to have a couple of my own some day." Sange sighs happily. Bato and Hakoda exchange glances.

Sokka looks up from his food and grins, "don't worry! The way uncle Bato looks at you I'm sure you'll get knocked up eventually." Katara kicks him under the table. Sange blushes at his comment and precedes at her meal.

Hakoda stifles a laugh before Sokka begins howling again. It wasn't long before Bato joined in.

"Are you seeing babies in the near

Future katara?" Sange asks her when the men engage in there own conversation.

Sange is very beautiful in kataras eyes. She is from the tribes as well, with short, wavy cropped hair and hazel eyes. She has a heart shaped face with dimples, and full lips. She's been with her uncle Bato For two years now, they're in love. Katara doesn't doubt that they'll be getting married one day.

"I don't know, I'm only twenty three. There's a lot of things I haven't gotten to do yet. Plus, I still have work and all."

"I understand that, how's Jet?"

"He's fine," katara says lowly. Her father and brother don't really approve of Jet. She remembers the time when missed a step going down the stairs. She bruised the right side of her face, and when Sokka saw it the the next day he told the father. It took a lot to calm the two down and get them to understand the situation. They were so convinced that it was Jets fault.

"Are you still working on the sequel to your novel?" She quickly changes the subject before the men in the room could comment.

Sange nods while taking a sip from her water, "the new piece is coming along great! The readers are gonna love this one."

"What's it called?"

"Home Heart Two: The casualties of Love." She says proudly.

"So I hear Zuko and Mai are back in down," she hears her Father say. Sokka looks over at katara and then takes a long drink from her wine glass. "Wonder why they came back?"

If no one else knows, Sokka knows what she'd gone through after Zuko married that girl. He knows that's a sensitive subject no matter how hard she tries to cover it up.

"The bastard should've stayed where he was if you ask me!" Sokka snorts.

"I've heard they are here to stay, they've bought a home-"

"- right across the damn street from me." Katara angrily cuts Bato off. All eyes turn on her. The door bell rings and she jets off to go answer it, her white dress flowing behind her.

Her heels click on the floor as she goes. She opens the door to see Yue.

"Yue? What's going on?" The said girl gives her a look and shakes her head.

"Remember I told you I'll come by to bring this back before I leave?" She holds up a red cosmetics box. Katara slaps her forehead.

"I forgot all about this! I'm so crazy.." She takes it from the girl and offers her to come in. Yue knows that it's the weekly family thing, she knows Sokka is there.

"No thanks, I gotta run. I have a flight to catch and all." She says as she walks backwards. She gives katara a small wave before getting in her car and driving off.

It's a good thing that Suki isn't here, the two bump heads every time they were in a room. Sometimes it had nothing to do with Sokka, it was over the little things. Katara watches her drive off down the street before going back to her family.

When she returns to her own home she finds that Jet Is fast asleep upstairs. Empty pizza boxes are scattered downstairs, along with empty coke cans. She half heatedly smiles as she gets out her heels and vegans straightening the front area.

She's returned back from her father much later than she usually does. It's almost one in the morning and thank spirits she finally has the weekend off for a change! Just as she enters the kitchen Jets phone rings. She does decide to let it ring, but it just keeps ringing and vibrating.

She tossed the empty boxes in the trash and picks the phone up. On his lock screen there's a picture of her and him at the beach one day. In front of the pictures is a long list of missed calls and text messages, all from someone named Tyuya.

She presses in the lock code; he doesn't know that she knows it. She goes through the call logs, then the text messages, and then the nude pictures this woman has sent him. She has long black hair and and dark hazel eyes. The images imprints into mind. The girl looks familiar but katara doesn't remember where she's seen her.

After reading everything, every single text message she's gotten the answers she's been wanting. Jets cheating on her with some woman, after all they've been through.

She's been there and helped him out when no one would. She's stuck by him no matter what others said, she gave him her time, her honesty and loyalty. Much, much more that she has done. After opening up to him and exposing her soul he still cheats.

When will it end? Her hand grips around the phone, not caring that her strength cracks it and she bleeds. She heads up the stairs, not thinking about it twice. She bursts through the bedroom door causing him to jump out his sleep.

"What the hell katara?" He yells startled.

"Whose this Tyuya person?" She demands, not caring how loud she is or that she may wake up the neighbors.

"Who?" He whips the cover off of him. He's in nothing his boxers, he places his hands up in defense once he sees the phone in her hands. "I can explain."

She chucks it at him. He ducks just in time and it crashes against the wall.

"After all of this how could you!" She screams. She throws things at him, she refuses to use her bending because then she would kill him.

"I want you out!" She hurls a small trunk at him. "Now!"

"It isn't even what It seems!" He says, attempting to advance on her. She stops him, pulling inside of his body to bend the water inside. His body shakes and fidgets under control. She remembers the last time she used blood bending.

It was on a man called Yon Rha who tried to assault her one night in an alley. When she was on her way to her car He'd snuck up on her from behind and there was a bit of a tussle, there was no water nearby; not even in the air. Blood bending was her last option! The man was going to rape her, or do far worse to her.

She killed him in defense.

She squeezed all the vessels and blood cells in his body until they burst under her pressure. Jet has the same expression that Yon Rha had on his that night. Blood bending is illegal, but she doesn't care.

He sputters out her name as her fingers work to control his boy like a puppet.

"K-Tara! Stop this!" He groans out as she smashes him into a wall. After fighting with her conscious she releases the hold on him. He drops to the floor panting. "Please, I-I'm sorry."

"How could you? After all this time, after All the energy I've put in and time? You were sorry when you were with her!" Katara bends him to the ground, he

"I want you to leave, I never wanna see you again." She can much extreme harm to him, make him suffer unbelievable plain, but shes not that girl anymore. She doesn't condone wreck less and senseless violence the way she did before. Instead she stalks off down the stairs.

No tears show, but on the inside she's breaking down; mentally, but she won't let Jet see. He doesn't deserve it, she won't give him the satisfaction. She hears him shuffling around upstairs, and he comes down a few minutes later.

He pauses once by her, "katara-"

"-I don't want to hear it," she turns her back to him, "just go."

"But.."

"I said just go!" She shouts, Jet stiffens up and square his jaw before walking out the front door. Once she hears his engine revving, and once she hears him speed off down the road she drops to the floor in tears.

'jets gone'

'Wdym he's gone?'

'Gone as in I left him, put him out.'

'What happened?'

'Its a long story, I'll call you later on tonight.'

'Call around 8 I'll be settled by then.'

Katara leans her head against the driver door window for a while before getting out. She wants to forget about last night but she can't. She doesn't know where he went, probably with that woman. Jet has been calling all her morning and each time she declines. She has nothing to say to him.

It's Friday, and she has the weekend off. She plans on taking this day for herself. She's going to go shopping, she's going to treat herself out to lunch and dinner, she's going to visit all of her friends as well. Katara is going to stay on the move and keep herself busy this entire weekend.

She walks slowly into the building it's a daycare that her best friend Aang works at. All the children are asleep when she walks in, she's careful that she doesn't disturb them. Aang waves at her through the break room window; she makes her way over the small bodies, it's kind of hard in five inch heels.

"Hey Aang, I hope I-" she stops mid sentence once she sees that her bald friend is not alone. Sitting next to him was none other than Zuko Agni. He has a mug of coffee in his hands and two envelopes in front of him. He looks at her, up down. His eyes linger a bit longer than they should and she glares at him. He stares back from under his lashes.

Don't look at me like that, please don't.

Now she Almost regrets wearing white body con halter dress that fits her so nicely. She pulls her short sleeveless denim blazer tighter to hide her chest. Aang looks between the two, this is awkward.

"Aang I didn't know you were going

To have company."she says dryly.

"I didn't know either, Zuko just stopped in a little while ago. He helped me put some of the kids to sleep."

"Oh really?" Another dry reply. A child cries from the other room and Aang jumps into action. He tells them he'll be right back and leaves the two alone.

"So," Zuko clears his throat and scratches the back of his head, "how have you been?"his voice is leveled and strong, but there's something else behind it.

"Fine."

More silence.

"You look great, uh good I mean."

"Thanks, I know." She's trying, she's trying to play nice. "So do you, I guess."

More silence.

"So uh, you and Jet?"

Her eyes narrow and her lip tightens. She doesn't want to hear that name, why is he saying it? "You and Mai huh?" She replies sharply. "Match made in Heaven am I right?"

"You don't know what your talking about. I'm trying to be nice here, why are you being so difficult?"

"Excuse me if I'm not easy like those women you're used to." He throws his hands up in the air.

"You're still nerve wrecking and a stubborn!"

"Just like your still the same swine you left as! You stupid jackass!"

"That's real mature of you katara, real adult like." He drawls out, amusement lining his voice. As long as she's known him he's always found pleasure in getting her upset and angry.

"Fuck you, Agni!"

"When?"

Aang come back just in time to hear the last part of the argument. Katara gives zuko the finger before she bolts out of the room. Aang watches her leave with a confused look.

"What was that all about?"

Zuko sighs and rubs his face. "She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you, Katara doesn't hate anyone. I think she dislikes you a little, you did kind of break her heart and all. Plus, you encouraged her to sing at your wedding, then you married another woman on her and all." Aang says. "Come to think of it she might just hate you."

"Thanks a lot, Aang."zuko rolls his eyes.

"No problem!" The young boy picks up the two invitations on the table and looks them over. They are invitations for a banquet held in Zukos honor for his twenty fifth birthday. Zuko bought two; one for Aang and the other for him to give to Katara. The entire gang was going, even though zuko kind of pissed them off three years ago.

"Do you really think she'll come?" Aang asks while stuffing the cards into his pocket.

"I don't know, maybe she will."

"I doubt Jet would be happy about that." Aang replies lowly. Zuko frowns.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean he isn't exactly the most trusting and lenient guy, a bit of a controlling jerk."

Zuko frowns deeper and his eyebrows come together. The coffee in the lug begins to hear up and steam. Luckily this goes unnoticed by Aang.

"I have to go and get lunch ready,

wanna stick around until I close?" Aang offers. "We can go by Jeong Jeongs and stop by the canteen."

Zuko declines as he stands and throws his coffee away. "I have some things to finish up with at home. I'll catch up with you later."

Aang watches his old friend walk off sighs. Momo comes and lands on his shoulder, Aang pets his head.

"This is going to be very interesting Momo." The animal cocks his head to the side and sniggered.

**Review questions:**

**1) what's your favorite Zutara fanfic?**

**2) do you think that katara was a little harsh on zuko?**

**3) your opinions on the story plot?**

**4) what legend of Korra character do you think will fit into this fanfic?**

**5) any questions or concerns?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Story Title**: The Casualties of Love

**Author:** XxToToXx

**Full summary:** it was three years ago in the summer that the Fire Prince left Katara and married Mai. Now In the fall The seemingly happily married couple returns back to republic city. Zuko sees that Kataras had moved on and is happy, but not everything is as it seems. Hearts will be broken, hidden conspiracies arise, true feelings will be exposed and murderous intentions will be put into action. Love can make you do some crazy things.

**Here are their occupations in case anyone is wondering.**

**Sokka: student at RCU**

**Zuko: works for his father**

**Azula: Law student at Republic City school of law**

**Aang: daycare worker, student at RC university for veterinarian**

**Suki: owns her own female self protection class**

**Toph: student at RC for personal trainer**

**Yue: fashion designer**

**Song: student at Ba Sing Se University for surgeon**

**Haru: factory worker**

**Lu Ten: book writer**

**Katara: health phycologist**

**Jet: mechanic**

_I love you_

_I loved you all along_

_I miss you_

_Been far away for far too long_

_I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go_

_Don't stop breathing if I don't see you anymore_

_-Nickelback_

**Chapter Three: **The Loose

"How was your day?" Mai asks as she cuts into her steak. Her movements are sharp and jerky. "I went over to Azulas home and helped her paint her paint, it was so boring."

Zuko drinks from his wineglass. "Then why'd did you do it if it's so boring?" This is how the conversations go every night. Mai would tell him of what she's done, and then tell him how boring it was.

The clanking of silverware sounds throughout the dining room. Mais sharp eyes dart up at him and then back down to her food. "She is my sister in law and all."

"I see," zuko says lowly. His mind drifts to earlier on that day at the daycare when he saw Katara. The first time he saw her she was with Yue, she wouldn't tell him anything. She only looked at him strangely. If looks could kill he would dead right now.

Then he sees her today in the skin tight dress and heels. He found it hard to look away, but he had to. This time she puts up a fuss with him and storms off. He's heard that she's with that Jet character but he doesn't know if it's anything serious or not. He doesn't care, he's married to the woman he loves.

Isn't he?

"So, for your birthday party I was thinking the theme can be the Japanese Dragon, and have the guests wear masks-"

"- we've already went over this Mai. It's nothing special and people may come as they please." Zuko cuts her off. Mai frowns deeper before perking her shoulders. Her eyes peer through past him to the living room window, thin eyebrows scrunch in confusion.

"What on Earth is going on out there?" She stands and hurries to the window. She peeks out the side of the curtain to look without being noticed. "What is that crazy woman doing?"

Zuko goes over to see what his wife is talking about. He peeks out the curtain as well, and the sight is quite humorous. "Oh my lord..." Mai whispers in disbelief.

The sun is almost down and street lights illuminate the street. Across the street from them a woman is outside wrapped in a pink towel, slippers, and a second towel is wrapped around her head.

In her hand she holds a toilet brush, the other hand holds the towel so that it doesn't slip. "Should we call the police?" Mai asks him. Zuko shakes his head, he finds the scene quite amusing. Katara beats Jet with the toilet brush until he manages to get into his car and drive off. She throws the brush down and stomps back into her house, slamming the door loudly behind her.

"I'm starting to dislike this neighborhood, it's not as upscale as it sounded. Just look what just happened!" Mai walks away adjusting her peals. "What barbarians."

"You're the main one who practically begged for us to move here!" Zuko gives her a look.

"I know, but now I'm starting to think it's a bit too... Lower class."

Zuko sighs. Too much money is tied up into this house, they haven't even been here a week. There's no way he's going to let her talk him into moving.

The next morning zuko heads out to work. He notices that kataras car isn't in the driveway. That's odd for her because she isn't exactly a morning person. He supposes he should apologize for his behavior yesterday, but he knows if he calls her she won't answer.

Can you really blame her?

He gets to a red light and takes out his phone. Even though he hasn't used her number in a while he hasn't deleted it, he doesn't know why. He stares at her contact for what seems like forever. Then he swallows his fear; yes, his fear. When the woman is mad she can be terrifying.

It rings.

And rings.

And rings some more.

"_Hello_?" Zuko jumps at the sound of her voice. "_What do you want, Zuko?"_

He clears his thirst. "Uh, good morning, katara. I just want to call and say uh..."

_"Say what? Spit it out already!" _She yells.

"I just wanted to apologize for that stuff yesterday," the light turns and he drives off.

_"Well I guess I should apologize too for taking shots at your wife,"_ zuko perks up, _"but I'm not."_

She hasn't changed. Zuko keep the conversation as courteous as possible.

"I was thinking I could make it up to you...because you like Starbucks! I mean, I can take you to Starbucks. I have a little while before I have to go in... And um, we could go and talk... But not a date or anything like that-"

_"Fine."_

"Fine?" He asks. She clicks her tongue through the phone and let's out a breath.

_"Meet me there in ten minutes."_ She hangs up the phone without saying goodbye and zuko finds himself in a race against time. He's halfway Across town, how on earth can he make it there in ten minutes.

She's done this on purpose.

Turns out, when he arrives at the Starbucks she isn't even there.

When she does come she's thirty minutes late. She doesn't apologize for her lateness as she sits down.

She's wearing a fitted white t shirt and a pair of loose black and grey sweatpants. A small manicured hand reaches out and examines her frappe skeptically.

"It's a double chocolate chip frappe with hazelnut and caramel. I put the extra drizzle on the whipped cream."

"I know what it is." She examines it again, "you didn't poison it or abythibg?"

"No, why would I do that?" She shrugs.

"If I does I'll come back and haunt you." She takes a sip from the straw.

"See, you aren't dead." He says.

"What do you want? Im kind of on a schedule if you didn't know." She crosses her Arms over her chest.

"I'm sorry for what I said yesterday. You just kind of caught me off guard."

"you don't need to apologize, I don't really care anymore."

He looks at katara. Her gaze is out the window, she's watching the people pass by. It's a beautifully sunny day; children and their parents are about and and about, shopping and having fun.

He notices a ring on her finger, an engagement ring, well it looks like an engagement ring. One can never be too sure, they come in so many styles. In the pit of his stomach he's hoping that it's just something she's bought for herself.

Zuko remembers a time when she really cared about him, when she really loved him. His uncle once told him that a person who truly cares won't ever stop caring.

"you're lying."

"Excuse me?" She gasps.

"You do still care, I can tell. People who really care won't just stop like that, Tara."

She rubs the side of her raise and her eyebrows raise. "First of all, you can't call me that anymore. Secondly, who did you hear that from? Uncle Iroh?"

"Yes I did."

"Well, it's easy to stop caring once someone gives you all the right reasons to. Like, cheating on them without caring about their feelings, lying to them, leading them on, announcing your engagement at my birthday party-"

"-That wasn't me! I've never lied you, ever, I never led you on either.."

"Let's see," she continues while glaring at him, "you broke my heart, you abandoned me, and made me feel like shit. Then thing about it is, you didn't even give a damn."

"You wouldn't talk to me! You blocked yourself up in your little ice cube and wouldn't let anyone in!"

_"Fucking liar!"_ She shouts back. "Does your wife even know your here? How do you think she'll feel knowing your out with another woman?"

"It's not a lie katara and you know it! I did everything in power for you to forgive me, but you weren't having that! Mai has nothing to do with this!"

"Lies!" She points a finger at him, "you're a liar Zuko!"

"It's not a lie, you're just so hurt and betrayed that your mind is clouded, I still love you, I've made a mistake. You'll probably hate me forever, I deserve that." His tone softens. "I deserve it, I'd hate me too. But believe me when I say I'm sorry."

She's quiet for a while, and her blue eyes glaze over. She doesn't do anything but stare at him intently. She grabs her keys off the table and stands to leave.

"You don't still love me, you probably never did."

"How can you even say that? I know what I've done is wrong, but that doesn't mean that I never loved you Katara, I will always love and care about you!" He stands and takes her by her shoulders. "_**I still love and care about you**_! When you love someone as hard as I love you it just doesn't go away!"

No, he did not just say that in the middle of the most popular place, people begin to stare at the two. Kataras mouth opens in shock at her. He still loves her? She quickly composes herself and looks in his apologetic eyes.

"Then why did you leave me and marry her? If you loved me you wouldn't have done that."

Zukos shoulders slump. He wasn't prepared for that question.

"It's difficult to answer that. I'm sorry about the break up, your birthday party, just everything. What can I do to make it up to you?"

Katara shakes her head, and gives him a sorrowful look. "Sorry won't erase what you did, and there's nothing you can do to fix it." She says before walking out the store.

The rest of his day goes by slowly and for once he can't wait to get home and get in his bed. Surprisingly, when he arrives home late at night Mai isn't there. He notices katara isn't at her house as well. She probably still upset with him about earlier.

Mai is usually always home by the time he makes it there. He wonders where she could have gone. She doesn't really have a social life besides his sister and Ty Lee. She hasn't even prepared dinner or anything; not that she can cook.

Every meal they have is either cooked by him or ordered from some five star restaurant and put on the china plates. He decides to order a pizza and go over his paperwork while he waits. It's a Saturday night, he should be out having fun. Fun hadn't been in his agenda in a few years.

The doorbell rings loudly. He thinks it's the pizza boy, but it's entirely too early; he only ordered ten minutes ago. He opens the door to find Sokka holding his boxes of pizza. He takes a big bite out of the slice in his hand.

Zukos eyebrow twitched.

"Sup, jerk bender?" He shoves his way into the home. "I caught the pizza guy, don't worry i took care of it."

"Hey, Sokka." Said boy plops down on the sofa and kicks his boots up on the table. Zuko guesses he wasn't at work today. He has on nothing but a Green day t shirt and jeans. He works under his father, he hopes to take his place one day, but he also wants to go off in the military.

Sokka is one of the few that know that truth about Zukos marriage, him and Aang. He trusts them with his secret because they helped him do some dirty things a few years ago. If the secret gets out they'll all go down.

"Where the wife?" Sokka looks around. "She must not be here, I guess that's why it has a good atmosphere." He laughs at his own joke.

"I don't know where she is, I haven't seen her today."

Mai isn't that fond of Sokka. She thinks he's too loud and obnoxious. He arches an eyebrow, "well, that's perfectly normal, not seeing your wife and all." Zuko snatches the box out of his hand as he goes for another slice.

"She'll come back, I guess. She always does."

Sokka laughs. "You make her sound like a little puppy dog or something!"

"You know what I mean!"

Sokka gives him a look and proceeds to flip through channels. "Sooo, have you and katara...?"

"She hates me, she'll always hate me. You know she doesn't get over things easily." Zuko bites angrily into his pizza.

"She'll come around sometime. Honestly, I don't think it'll be anytime soon since her and Jet just broke up and all. Good riddance is what I say, I'm glad the bastards gone."

"When did they break up? I thought they were still together. I saw the engagement ring..."

"She bought that herself for her birthday last year. Jet isn't about to settle down with anyone. As far them breaking up I don't know the full details. You'll have to speak with Yue or Aang about that one, she doesn't really discuss her man troubles with me. All I know is that she said he's a lying cheating hogmonkey."

The two laugh at the girls choice of words.

"What about you and Yue, err, I mean you and Suki?"

Sokka looks at him sideways before scoffin. "Suki is pregnant, she's due in seven months. Yue still hates me, if you thought Katara and Azula were bad, you haven't seen anything until you've seen her upset. We can't even be friends, but you know it's better that way sometimes."

"Maybe."

There's a pause in the room. Sokka slams down the remote on the glass table, nearly nearly breaking it. He jumps up and claps his hands together.

"You know what we need?" He asks Zuko.

"Women who'll never get mad at us and hate us?"

"No, but that's a good guess. We need a guys night out! It's Saturday, we have nothing else to do! Let's hit the city!" He fist pumps the air.

"I don't know," Zuko tells him as he leans back in his chair. "The last time we 'hit the city' we were all thrown in _jail _over the weekend!"

Sokka blushes. "It won't be like that this time, I promise. Well just walk around the City Square, have a couple of drinks and that's it."

Zuko looks at him doubtfully.

"I swear, no bar fights, no drunken driving or jail cells. I promise! We can go and get the others too, I have room. We can make it out a party!" He places a fist over his heart.

After a Staring match Zuko finally gives in. With a leap of joy Sokka snatches him off the couch and they speed off in sokkas big, black Tahoe truck.

"Looking good on my way to the club gonna dance all night and get fucked up!" The brunette sang as she turns the bottle up to her head. Toph bursts out laughing from the backseat.

"Sugar Queens wasted!" She claps her ringed hands together. Song shakes her head next to toph, and Azula laughs hysterically. It's not often they see Katara Kalan this free and lifted.

Only one problem, katara isn't supposed to drink.

Tonight is their girls night out, they're having a slumber party and all. Even though Zuko and Katara aren't together anymore Azula remains kataras friend. They didn't like eachother at first, but they grew to love one another. They've been friends since the third grade, they've all pretty much been knowing each other for years.

"Maybe you should slow down," song leans to front of Azulas Bentley. She holds on tightly to Kataras seat as the female Agni drives crazily through the downtown streets. "It's your second bottle! We haven't even made it the club yet."

"Quit whining! Here!" Katara passes the bottle to song. She declines and says she only twenty and that she isn't supposed to be drinking alcoholic beverages. The wind of the night air blows their hair because Azula has the top down.

"Stop being such a wuss!" Toph snatches the bottle and finishes it off while katara pulls another bottle from her bag and hands it to Azula. She takes her hands off the wheel to open it and drink from it; she's been drunk since they left kataras house.

Just who said it was okay for her to drive?

She hands the bottle to Song. After a lot of peer pressure she finally takes a few sips and then a couple of gulps. Katara cheers for her and turns up the music.

"I was going to decline at first, but u have to admit that this is nice!" Toph yells.

"I told you so! And the nights not even started yet!" Azula tells her. Song takes the bottle from Katara and finishes it off.

"Oh wow! Look at her go!" Katara rolls over in her seat laughing.

"We're here!" Azula announces as she parks badly in front of the club.

"About time!" Toph complains as she gets out the car.

Azula adjusts her blood red mini dress and and slides into her golden high heeled sandals. Toph is wearing a green jumpsuit and gold heels as well. Song wears a white mini dress with electric blue heels. Katara has on an all black sleeveless flair less peplum suit. The skirt is ultra short, her hair is flat ironed, and she wears black pumps.

Thanks to Azulas credit they are able to skip the line and walk right on in. As the neon lights off their bodies and loud music bated in their ears they have no clue of just what their night holds.

"God dammit!" Zuko yells as he holds onto the door. "Slow the fuck down Sokka! You're gonna kill us!" In the back seat Aang thinks it's hilarious that he's being tossed from side to side. Haru doesn't seem to mind as he's still managing to eat the McDonald's they'd stopped to get. They'd even stopped to get Lu Ten, Zukos cousin, much to Zukos objection.

Lu Ten is a bit of a party animal. When he got in the truck he came along with bottles of liquor and cash money to throw on strippers. His father Iroh tried to come along, but Zuko wasn't about to baby sit too animals at once.

"Will you calm down!" Sokka yells at him with a mouth full of fries. "I know what I'm doing."

"Yeah, KoKo he knows what he's doin' just lighten up a bit."Lu Ten slurs.

"Don't call me that!" Zuko attempts to punch Lu Ten but the other boy ducked back in his seat.

"Geez, Mai must have you whipped!" Haru laughs.

"Whipped? What does that mean?" Aang asks. "Does she beat you?"

Zuko groans.

Lu Ten And Sokka burst into howls of laughter.

"Nothing, Aang. It's nothing!" Sokka wipes the tears from his eyes.

Zuko sighs heavily from the front seat, this is going to be a long night.

**So, what did you think? Read & review.**

**1) What about Kataras drinking problem? Pretty unprofessional for someone of her occupation but I hate seeing her as goody goody. She's having FUN! Don't burn her, she needs this! Also, she WILL NOT be jumping from man to man in this fanfic. **

**2) what did you think about the Starbucks scene?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Story Title**: Casualties of Love

**Author:** XxToToXx

**Chapter Four**: Truth

"I can't believe your in my house," katara places her hands on her throbbing head, "cooking me breakfast while your wife is right cross the street, you need to go home, Zuko!"

"I'm not going-" he ducks out of the way as an apple is hurled at him. "-it's the least I can do I've told you that." Zuko looks at her incredulously.

"The least you can do is go jump off a cliff." She mutters.

Zuko doesn't tell her anything as he continues to pull out various ingredients from the pantry. He came over sometime this morning and shook her out of her sleep to tell her he was going to do breakfast for everyone.

Just what is he trying to prove? At Starbucks he did say that he still loves her, even thought that doesn't matter now. She can tell he feels terrible about what he did, good. Let him suffer.

"Mai will be fine." He says, "I'll deal with her."

She watches as he cooks. He already has a few pots and skillets on, she can smell the savory bacon and sweet biscuits baking in the

oven. She feels he has ulterior motives for some reason, but then again she thinks that of everyone.

The tshirt and gym shorts he wears reminds her of the old Zuko, the one before all the business suites and ties.

"This is so awkward!" Katara groans as she slides of the bar stool and stalks to the living room. She plummets on the sofa and buries her head in the pillow. "You're crazy!" She screams.

She's still suffering from a massive hangover, she should've denied Azulas offer to go out to the club. They would've had just as much fun at home watching movies and eating junk food.

"I feel like crap." A new voice arrives. Katara raises and looks in the Foyer.

Azula comes down the steps of the living room In her white to shirt and red shorts. Her hair is a mess and she looks the same way she feels.

She lays across the recliner after grabbing the remote and flicks through channels on the TV. She scratches her stomach as she yawns. "Whose cooking?"

Katara buries her pounding head back in the pillow. "Your brother."

"What?" Azula yells. "What kind of fuckery-"

"- Azula can you not be so loud please?" Katara groans. "And yes, he's in my kitchen cooking breakfast, while his wife is right across the street."

The other girl bursts into a fit of laughter. "This is going to be hilarious!"

Katara sighs heavily. "I thought Mai was your friend?"

"Well, she is, but that doesn't mean I'm on her side in this."

"Breakfast, er, lunch is ready." Zuko calls from the kitchen. Azula stands and drags a groggy Katara along with her.

"Somebody said breakfast?" Toph appears in the kitchen as they sit down. She grabs a plate and quickly goes to work. Song is still upstairs fast asleep, Katara doesn't think she'll awaken anytime soon.

"So big brother," Azula starts as Zuko pours her a glass of orange juice. "To what do we owe this visit?"

"It's none of your business." Zuko tells her. She purses her lips and gives him a look before drinking from her glass.

"You've did your little breakfast thing now can you please leave?" Katara says rather rudely. She admits that his cooking is still as spectacular as she remembers, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a married man; a married man who broke her heart.

She cuts her eyes at him and shifts in her bar stool. He gives her a dry look. He knows he shouldn't be here, he knows it will cause problems in his marriage, just like he knows that his wife will put up a fit about it.

Zuko does not care.

"It's the least he can do after what he did to you!" Azula drawls as she pours liquor into her orange juice from a flask. "If it were me I'd be Making him suffer!" She waves a dismissive hand in the air and chugs down the drink.

"That's exactly what I was thinking! You're lucky she hasn't tried to kill you yet." Toph points out.

"She won't kill me, although I won't put my money on it." Zuko begins to place the dirty pots and pans in the sink to wash.

"Ever since she broke up with Jet-"

"I just love the way you guys are talking to me like I'm not here, and in my own house at that!" Katara shouts at them as she jumps from her seat. She tosses her plate into the trash can without caring that it's ceramic and storms up the stairs. She slams her bedroom door loudly, showing them just how angered she is.

"As you can see she hasn't changed a bit." Toph shrugs.

"Why did they break up?" Zuko asks, "I thought they were still together." Zuko thinks back on the day he saw Katara wrapped in a towel in her drive way, beating on Jet. He wonders what could've made her that upset at him. Whatever the issue was Zuko is glad they are no longer together, he doesn't want Katara with anyone.

"Oh no! That's old news, almost the whole entire city knows it." Toph throws her hands up in her air. "And In my opinion I'm glad she left him."

"He's a dog, you should know that yourself Zuko, plus-" Azula pauses as the doorbell sounds throughout the house. "Well, someone has to get that."

"Well this is awkward." Toph blows her hair out of her face, "but suspenseful at the same time. I'll even bet my life that that's the wife outside." Then the doorbell rings again.

Toph is right, This is indeed awkward. Each of them already know whose at the door, but who has the guts to face her? Zuko was no coward but he wasn't stupid either. He refuses to flee from the scene yet he won't be the center of an argument.

"One of you bums could've at least answered the door!" Shouts Katara as she bounds down the stairs and runs into the foyer.

Azula hums a tune while examining her nails. Toph skillfully fixes herself another helping of food. Zuko looks at them, did they not care? He figures it would be his time to leave now while things were peaceful.

Sure enough it's his beloved wife. Her usual bored amber eyes are ablaze and calculating.

"Zuko," Her voice is full of malice and detest as her eyes never leave Katara. "You said you were just coming here to check on Azula."

"He did," Azula pops up onto the scene and leans against the wall. "And I'm just fine actually." A knowing smirk appears on her porcelain face. Azula knows that Mai can't stand to have Zuko within fifty feet of Katara, Lessing on him being under the same roof as her.

"Now, can you please leave my house?" Katara asks looking between Mai and Zuko, "and now?"

"I'll uh, see you guys later." Zuko tells them as he follows Mai out of the door.

"Thanks for cooking breakfast for us, ZuZu you should come and do that more often." Azula calls from the doorway. Katara snickers. Mai turns misstep and looks back at her husband. Toph watches from the widow. Zuko turns around just in time to see Katara slam the door in his face.

"The nerve." Katara mutters with a short laugh under her breath. She keeps finding herself thinking about a couple of days before. How Zuko invited himself into her home and began cooking breakfast for her, well for them. Then his grey wife came looking for him. The situation is quite funny.

Stupid woman, stupid Zuko.

She pauses in her paperwork and opens the drawer to her desk. She pulls out an envelope; it the invitation to Zukos party. It's in a few weeks, but she's undecided on if she wants to go or not.

Why should she?

She'll just have to see those two all over eachother, sharing meals and making sweet faces for the cameras.

She's beginning to think that Azula is right. Maybe she should make Zuko see what he's missing out on. It's his fault that they broke up anyhow, why not make him suffer? She shakes her head at the thought, that would be too much work.

But is Zuko really even worth it? He's told her that he doesn't love his wife, he's told her that he is still in love with her. She knows is a lie, he doesn't love her and he never did. She's come to the conclusion that she fell in love with the man she thought he was.

What happened to the man from all those years ago? Katara would just love to know what happened to him. She remembers how things went sour; he became distancing himself from her, telling lies and picking fights.

They break up and the next you know, POOF! He's engaged. Then he has the audacity, the nerve to ask her to sing at his wedding. To this day it still makes her heart hurt and stomach turn.

When he and Mai left the city, and Katara was in her depressed state she would often think about the what if factors.

What if they hadn't broken up with way they did?

What if Mai never even came in the picture?

What if he would've left Mai at the alter and came running to her insisted?

It's said that time heals all wounds, but this wound was cut a bit too deep. Katara thinks that the pain Zuko caused her will never go away. She takes the invitation and tosses it in the trashcan.

When she gets off that evening she stops at a local burger joint and orders the largest meal there is. It's not for her, it's for a friend.

She takes a deep breath as she pulls up at her brothers house. She's come to see Suki, his girlfriend. She's pregnant with twins so her emotions have been through the roof. Sokkas big truck isn't here, that's a good thing. The two girls will be able to talk in peace.

Suki doesn't really come around the family and their friends as much as she used to. It's mostly because Yue would still stop in every now and then, and Yue was sokkas very first love.

Suki thinks that everyone hates her because while Yue and Sokka were together, Sokka was seeing them both. Then he ended up choosing Suki over Yue.

Katara will never forget that day. It was quite the mess. They were all out to dinner, it was the whole gang. She has yet to know who extended the invitation to Suki, they should've known that Yue and Suki were at odds.

Yue had to much pressure stored up inside of her and confronted them both in front of everyone. There was a lot of name calling, arguing and it even came down to fighting. Thing is, every one thought Yue was just a sweet innocent little angel. In reality, under all of those manners, the politeness, and angelic features lies a dangerous spitfire.

Katara ring the doorbell a few times and waited for Suki to open the door. A few seconds later she hears locks twisting and turning. Suki comes to the door in pajamas and a loose t shirt. She gives Katara a bright smile and invites her inside.

"I bought you food, I know pregnant women like to eat." Katara hands her the bag and drink.

"Thank you so much!" Suki snatches the food out of kataras hands and devours the food like a wild beast. "Spirits knows I didn't feel like cooing. Your a life saver, literally."

"No problem, how's my little niece and nephew doing?" Katara pokes at the other girls stomach with the tip of her finger. Honestly the girl doesn't even look pregnant. You would really have to look very closely to see the slightest bump.

"Where the do i start?" Suki sighs. "There's the morning sickness, my hormones are through the roof. They won't allow me to eat anything spicy. They give me crazy cravings all through the day and all through the night. Besides that, they're fine."

"Well, that's good. As long as they're healthy and you're healthy everything's fine."

"Yeah, I'm ready to get this over with." Suki stands and stretches. "You'll have to excuse our house. You kind of caught me off guard and while Sokkas at work I don't get any company."

Katara notices the hint of hurt in her voics when she said she doesn't get any company. "I can come over sometimes and keep you company. I can help out a bit too."

"Oh, you don't have to do that!"

"It's fine, I don't really like being home anymore anyways."

"Is it because Zuko and Mai came back and they live right across the street from you?" Suki asks with her hands on her hips.

"Well partly that, I guess so."

"It such a shame though. I cannot believe he did that to you. I see now that Ozai isn't as nice as he puts out to be, having his own son marry someone he doesn't even love just to save his company from sinking."

Kataras eyebrows come together and she stares at Suki with a hard look. "What did you say?"

"You mean you didn't know?" Katara remains silent. "Spirits, Sokka is going to kill me."

"What do you mean by Ozai had his son marry someone he doesn't even love?"

Suki takes a deep breath. "The company was falling, they were losing money and all. So Ozai made a deal with this other company, turns out the boss mans daughter had a thing for Zuko, basically Zuko had to marry the girl to keep his family from going under."

Upon hearing this Katara sands and leaves. Suki goes after her into the driveway.

"Where are you going?" She asks her as katara lets down her window. "I hope your not going to do anything reckless, he loves you!"

"To get some answers!" The girl shouts back. "And he doesn't love me, he chose money and fame over me!" She backs out wildly and speeds off.

Suki slaps her forehead, she's just started the biggest mess republic city will ever see.

**Read and review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Story title:** The Casualties of Love

**Author:** XxToToXx

**(A:N) I fixed this chapter and reread it three or four times. Zuko is the COO of Sozin corp, Ozai is the CEO. Azulon is still alive and Azula turned down working for the family business because she finds more pleasure in Law. Sokka doesn't know what he wants to do in life, be a mechanic or go into his fathers business or go to become a navy SEAL. Zuko and Katara were together for three years before they broke up, but two for two of those years he cheated on her. Okay? Got it? Good. :) hopefully this will make things more interesting. Zuko has been married to Mai for three years. I had to clear this up and tell The changes I've made will be for the better, I promise.**

**Full summary: it was three years ago in the summer that the Fire Prince left Katara and married Mai. Now In the fall The seemingly happily married couple returns back to republic city. Zuko sees that Kataras had moved on and is happy, but not everything is as it seems. Hearts will be broken, hidden conspiracies arise, true feelings will be exposed and murderous intentions will be put into action. In this story you will find out that the saying is true, Love can make you do some crazy things.**

**Ages:**

**Katara: 23**

**Sokka: 24**

**Jet:25**

**Zuko: 24**

**Suki;24**

**Aang: 19**

**Toph: 20**

**Hakoda:40**

**Yue: 22**

**Bato: 42**

**Azula: 21**

**Song:20**

**Sange: 37**

_It's never enough to say I'm sorry_

_It's never enough to say I care_

_But caught between what your wanting from me_

_And knowing if I give that to you I might just disappear_

_Nobody wins when everyone's losing_

_It's like one step forward and two steps back_

_No matter what I do your always mad_

_And I can't change your mind_

_It's like trying to turn around on a one way street_

_I can't give you what you want and it's killing me_

_And I'm starting to see maybe we're not meant to be_

_- Theory of a deadman_

**Chapter Six:** The Reckoning

_"You son of a bitch!" _She yells out as she hurls her body at him. Zuko looks up just in time to see the woman tackles him down to the ground. He is at his workplace and was just finishing up a late night meeting with some of his coworkers, he has just dismissed them and they haven't even left the room yet.

_How embarrassing._

"How could you!" She yells as she punches and kicks him. He blocks her attacks all except one, a powerful punch manages to strike him dead in the nose. He has forgotten how strong she is for someone so tiny. She lands another blow to his cheek before some workers pull her away.

Zuko is helped up by Lu Ten, who just happened to decide to sit in on this meeting. Katara is still wriggling in the arms of the two male workers.

"I'll kill you! Let me go!" She yells as she claws at them, she's like a mad woman, Zuko approaches her. He holds a napkin to his nose so the blood won't drip.

"Katara, what the hell is your problem?"

"You're my problem, did you think I wasn't gonna find out?" She angrily tells him, "did you really think I'm that stupid?"

"Maybe if you calm down, we can talk about this like adults without all the screaming and yelling."

She jerks free out of the mans arms and adjusts her clothing. She glares at him.

"You left me for another woman, and it was just to save your fathers little company from going under, How low was that Zuko? You know what really makes it funny? Sozins corporation didn't even crash! You left me and married another woman for practically nothing!"

The room is completely silent, not even Lu Ten makes a sound. Zuko cannot say anything, because what she's saying is the truth.

"For money," she laughs and scoffs, "you left me so that your company wouldn't go under, so that the can make triple profit off of everything else. And you know what else? No amount of money would've been able to take me away from you, nothing would have but I guess you didn't think the same way."

She brushes past the crowd of onlookers and bolts out of the room, leaving Zuko to sulk. He sighs and closes his eyes, that was something that Zuko hoped she would never find out. If she didn't hate him before she surely does now.

To make matters worse, she stopped off in the employee parking lot and and attacked his vehicle. The security team caught her and called the police, it was pretty messy. No matter what Zuko did, he couldn't get the police to let her go free. She even attacked them, assault on an officer, that only made things far worse. He calls Sokka and makes a call that he hasn't made in years.

After getting stitched up at the local twenty four hour clinic Lu Ten sits with his cousin at a ramen restaurant. He can't help but find Zukos predicament a little amusing. The woman is barely five feet tall and may not even weigh one hundred pounds, yet he couldn't pull himself from up under her.

"What's so funny?" Zuko asks in aggravation, "Please _humor_ me on my misfortune."

Lu Ten shakes his head, "The fact that she beat you is funny, all that other stuff isn't funny. Did you really think she wouldn't find out?"

"I was hoping she wouldn't."

"What's done in the dark will eventually come to the light," Lu Ten picks up his menu and glances over it. "You can't hide secrets forever."

"I'm guessing uncle Iroh told you that?"

"Of course, where else would I find such wisdom?"

"No other place,"

"Exactly, now what are you going to do about your car?" Lu Ten stifles a laugh.

"The price it'll take to repair it I can buy a new one. I'll just use one of Azulas for now."

"Yeah, good luck with that."

Zuko sighs and adjusts the gauze and tape that's over his nose. The other people in the restaurant gave him looks when they first came in, he glared at them and threatened them all. He is not in the mood to be trifled with.

"I really, really fucked up." Zuko sighs as he puts his head in his hands. Katara was right, he did marry Mai because both the board of Directors and his father predicted that the company would fall. To everyone's surprise they were wrong, oh so wrong.

To save the company and their asses his father made a deal with another prospering corporation, and that just happened to be Huugo industries, which Mais father ran. The deal was that he would have to marry Mai, to link the two businesses. Mai was all for it and had no ties to anyone else, she's always had a thing for Zuko.

Even while he was still with Katara, she would drop hints and make it discretely noticeable, although Katara wasn't stupid. It was something like a woman's intuition, and Zuko should've known that. When he and Katara began having problems and it was Mai who made his life a tad bit easier.

Before he knew what was happening he was seeing Mai more and more regularly, secret dates and meetings. He began lying and making excuses to Katara, stupid him should've have known she was going to find out sooner or later. He'll never forgot that night, ever. He shivers at the memory of it and he wishes he could erase it.

The breakup with messy, painful, and down right terrible. He said a lot of things that he didn't mean to say. Then to make matter worse Mai announced their engagement at Kataras birthday party, then he had the audacity to request her to sing at his wedding to another woman.

_Stupid._

"You sure did, because Sozins corp didn't even crash. Ozai managed to pull up from those losses before they could fall, so your marriage to the wet rag is pretty void in my eyes."

"I know."

"Well, I've been in a love a couple times myself. Well, sometimes good sex can be confused as love." Lu Ten strokes his chin. "But anyway, did you really even love Katara?"

"Of course in, I still do." He sighs. The waiter comes over with a pen and pad and asks them if they're ready to order. Lu Ten orders a bowl of Komodo stew with a glass of water and tells the waiter to bring Zuko a shot of vodka on the rocks.

"Girl problems." Lu Ten whispers behind his hand. The young waiter gives him a knowing glance before going off to the back.

"Well, you know what I think?" Lu Ten asks. Zuko rolls his eyes and groans. Lu Tens advice hasn't been the greatest over the years. The last real girlfriend he had dumped him and moved to the states, and Lu Ten was really head over heels for her.

"I think that if you really loved her you wouldn't have placed money before her. If it were me I would have said to to hell with Sozin corp, I would've rather kept the woman of my dreams. But, unfortunately now you're stuck with a woman who don't want and don't love." He explains, he freezes. "Wait, do you love Mai?"

Zuko groans and leans back in his seat. Lu Ten shakes his head and loosens his tie.

"Man, you're really screwed."

_"I'll never be able to love Mai the way I love Katara."_ Zuko confesses.

"If you loved her you wouldn't have done that, then on top of all the other bullshit you let your wife get a house right across the street from her!"

"I'm a total douche." He groans.

"I can understand that." Lu Ten thanks the waiter as he places his food in front of him. Zuko gulps down his drink as soon as it's placed on the table and tells the waiter for another drink.

"You're going to need more than liquor before it's over with." His cousin comments. His phone rings in his pocket and he pulls it out to see that it's Mai. He doesn't feel he can talk to her right now, he lets the phone go to voicemail and places it back in his pocket.

"I'll bet my entire bank account that was the controlling dish rag calling to see where you are and what time you'll make it back home." Lu Ten drinks from his glass, Zukos reply never came because the other boy is right.

"You know what I want to know?" Lu Ten stirs his stew around.

"What?"

"Why is she constantly checking your whereabouts? It's like she's trying to make sure you're somewhere so that she doesn't run into you."

"That's not it, she just gets worried sometimes. That's all." Zuko defends, in his gut he's knowing that Lu Ten is right.

"Worried my ass!" He groans loudly, "She's probably fucking off right now as we speak. Do you even know where she is?"

"...At home I guess."

"You guess? Seems to me like you should be keeping tab on her, rather than her keeping up with you. It just doesn't seem right man."

Your right, Zuko thinks. You're so right.

"But back to lighter matters, what's going on with this birthday party?" Lu Ten pulls out his iphone and begins checking it.

"It's still in September, only a month and a half before I make twenty five."

"You're getting as old as shit, what all are you going to have there?"

"I don't know yet, Mai is handling everything." Lu Ten slams his phone down on the table and looks at Zuko strangely.

"What the hell? It's your birthday, not hers!"

"I know, I know."

Lu Ten gives him a mirthful look. "I don't think you do, Zuko."

"I still lover her." He replies.

"I know."

"I miss her."

"Then go after her, go get her back."

Lu Ten went on about controlling women the rest of the night, even when he dropped Zuko off at home. Zuko glances at the house across the street and sees that her car is still gone. He sighs and walks up the driveway to the front door where his wife is waiting for him.

**.0.**

"Okay, it's okay." Sokka pats his sisters back at the bar. He had gotten a call from Zuko saying that she was once again in jail. Luckily Sokka managed to get her before she got shipped off to a real prison. The poor girl cried the entire way and is still shedding tears. Her eyes are puffy and her hair is a mess, the last time he'd seen her like this was when Zuko and Mai announced their engagement at her birthday party.

Once again, it's Zukos fault.

"We'll get through this just like we got through that other stuff."

Katara wipes her eyes with her sleeve, "I can't believe he actually did that! I thought we were in love, how could he?Am i not worth more than money to him?"

"Don't you say that! You're worth more than you can ever imagine. One day he'll realize how bad he messed up and he'll feel awful about It."

"He won't feel awful, he won't feel a thing!"

Sokka sighs, he hates seeing his little sister like that. It makes him want to cry as well. He watches as she snaps at a passerby for staring at her."Do you remember when Yue and I were together?"

"Who can forget?" She mumbles as she gestures for the bartender to fix her another drink. Sokka scratches the back of his head.

"Well, were heavily in love. We were perfect for one another, and that was my other half. I made a dumb ass move and cheated on her for Suki. I tried to juggle the two women I loved at one time. It isn't completely fault because Suki knew I was with someone, but still we began seeing each other. my One day Yue found out, well I guess she's always known.

"She gave me a choice; either stop seeing Suki and be faithful, or she was going to leave. I had to choose between two women I was in love with, and believe me when I tell you it was the hardest decision of my life. I chose Yue, but I couldn't leave Suki alone. One day Yue has had enough and she leaves me. I tried everything in my power to get her to come back to me but at the same time I didn't want to lose Suki either c

"Well, you know the rest. Yue went on with her life and I went on with mine. To this day, I am still in love with her. I will never be able to love another woman the way I love Yue. I made a terrible mistake and now I have to deal with it. What makes it worse is that I don't think I fought enough for our relationship. I always think of the possibilities, I still think of her."

"So what are you saying?"

"All I'm saying is if you really love someone you should fight for them with every fibre of your being. If it's real love, it won't ever go away no matter who the hell you're with. Zuko messed up big time, but one thing I know for sure is that he loves you, more than he loves his wife."

"I'm not fighting for him," she chugs down her drink. "I'm letting him go, once again. He's married, I don't penetrate anyone's relationship. All I can do now is accept the fact that he's a dog."

"I can understand the fact that you're mad. Who wouldn't be? You can be mad all you want to sis but that won't change the fact that you still love him, real love doesn't go away."

"I loved him, he didn't love me! Look what he did to me!"

"Yes he did cheat on you and then married another woman, plus he moved right across the street from you. It's bad, I know. Let me ask you this, do you really think he's happy with her? He only married her to save his family."

"Would you have done that? If you and Yue were still together would you have chosen money over her?"

Sokka frowns, "I honestly don't know. Family is important though Katara, you know that. Personally I wouldn't have done that."

"Exactly." Katara replies back stubbornly.

"Zuko and I are two different people. All I know is that he isn't meant to be with big blah, and you surely aren't meant to be with Jet."

"You all are men, which means you are all dogs."

Sokka sighs.

"All men aren't dogs. Look at dad, dad never cheated on mom. Even though she isn't with us he still refuses to go with another woman, know why?"

Katara shakes her head.

"It's because he loves her just that much. He will never love another woman the way he loves mom." He glances at the watch on his wrist and stands. "It's getting late, come on. I'm going to take you home, both of us have work in the morning." Katara complies.

The drive back to her her car is silent. Not even the radio is on, and Sokka always has his radio blasting as high as it can go. She leans her head back against the seat and looks out the window at the passing scenery.

"Do you think you'll ever stop loving Yue?"

Sokkas hand tightens around the steering wheel, "Even as I'm alive and breathing and even when I'm six feet underground i will never stop loving her."

"Why not?"

"True love never dies, Katara. It will always and forever be there no matter how hard you try to push it away, it'll always keep coming back." He says, "I've made a terrible mistake and I don't think that I'll ever be able to forgive myself." Silent tears fall down her cheeks at her brother words.

"He and yue, her and Zuko, they were all in the same predicament. Yue still loves Sokka even after what he's done to her and Sokka is still deeply in love with her. The two can't be together, because Sokka refused to leave Suki while she's pregnant with his children. Two hearts that call for eachother but they can't be together .Zuko still wants Katara dspite the fact that he's married, he still loves her and Katara still loves him no matter how much she denies it.

He drops her off to her car and takes himself to his own home with promises that he would be calling her later.

When she reaches her house she doesn't even look across the street. She doesn't want to, she wishes they would leave and never come back. She doesn't regret attacking him or his car. She feels betrayed at what he's done, how could he? How could he do that to her?

She takes her nightly medicine before she changes into her night clothes and covers herself in her thick covers. Even though it's in the middle of August it still gets rather chilly at night.

She listens to slow music on her phone until medicine begins kicking in. Aang calls her but she isn't in the mood to speak to anyone. She's glad that Yue would be back from her trip soon, she's the only one she can really relate to about this. She turns in the bed so that she's on her stomach. Her phone rings again and she decides to place it on do not disturb. Picking it up she sees it's a text message.

A text message from Zuko.

_Zuko: I'm so sorry, I still love you more than you can ever imagine._

Should she reply? She wants to. She wants to curse him and lash out at him and make him feel terrible about what he did, but she doesn't. She turns her phone completely off and slowly drifts off to a troubled sleep.

**Read and review**


	7. Chapter 7

**Story Title: **The Casualties of Love

**Author**:XxToToXx

**Full summary: it was three years ago in the summer that the Fire Prince left Katara and married Mai. Now In the fall The seemingly happily married couple returns back to republic city. Zuko sees that Kataras had moved on and is happy, but not everything is as it seems. Hearts will be broken, hidden conspiracies arise, true feelings will be exposed and murderous intentions will be put into action. In this story you will find out that the saying is true, Love can make you do some crazy things.**

_I think you can do much better than me_

_After all the lies that I made you believe_

_Guilt kicks in and I'm starting to see_

_The edge of the bed where your night gown used to be_

_I told myself I won't miss you_

_But I remember what it feels like beside you_

_I really miss your hair in my face_

_And the way your innocence tastes_

_And I think you should know this_

_You deserve much better than me_

_- Hinder_

**Chapter seven: Rain**

Yue drums her fingers on her wallet. She exhales a loud sigh, this truly isn't her day. She glances at her watch, it's ten past twelve. She's promised a client that she would see her at twelve thirty for a fitting. She sighs again, she just had to do her grocery shopping now. To top it all off it's raining. Yue hates getting wet, she spends too much time on her hair and makeup every morning to have it ruined by the elements.

She only returned home late last night, and she hasn't really gotten a good nights sleep yet. She has things that needs to be done and bills that have to be paid.

The skies are grey and cloudy. Every now and then a boom of thunder would sound out over the world, she sighs. Her car is parked so far away, and she doesn't even have an umbrella. She should've chosen to do this another time. She calls her client and tells her that she has to reschedule, the woman understands. She doesn't want to be out in this nasty weather either.

"Yue?" A male voice calls from behind her. She turns to see Sokka standing there with his hand in his pocket and the other holding up an umbrella. He's wearing loose fitting jeans with an old high school basketball t shirt under a dark blue jacket. He stares at her curiously from beside the stores electronic doors.

Even now her heart is beating at at least one hundred beats per minute. The memories come flooding back to her mind all at once. Her heart goes through sixty emotions at once before she can stop it. She covers her expression expertly and puts on a smile.

"Oh, hey Sokka." The man frowns. She mentally falters and knows he can see straight past her facade. "How have you been?"

"I've been making it, I haven't seen you in a while. It's been like forever plus an eternity." He jokes.

He laughs. She does too, but quickly regains herself.

"I've been kind of busy and It's only been four months, Sokka."

"Well, you know what I mean." He scratches the back of his head. There's an awkward silence between the two. "So, what are you doing here besides...making groceries."

"Im waiting for the rain to let up. I don't-"

"-you don't like getting your hair, face, or clothes wet because you spend too much time on your hair and makeup every morning. Yeah, I remember." He moves closer to her and out of the way of the people entering and exiting the store.

"Here, I'll walk you to your car." He holds the umbrella over her. "I know you hate getting your hair and face messed up."

Yue stares at him, "You don't have to do that, I can just wait."

"No I insist, now come on." Sokka pulls her up off he bench. "I don't mind getting messed up."

Yue accepts his offer. He holds the umbrella over her head while he stands out in the elements. Yue pushes her basket as fast as she can to her car, but it's kind of hard when you're wearing heels. She unlocks her car and pops the trunk as quickly as she can. Sokka takes her bags out of the basket and puts them in the trunk.

Once he's done he closes the trunk and gets inside the car. Yue turns on the heat for him, the boy gets sick and catches cold so easily she should've declined his offer. She sees how his shirt has been soaked through and through, it shows off his well sculpted chest. The rainwater drips from his dark colored hair and skin and onto her seats. She doesn't mind though, she never did when it came down to Sokka.

She watches as he rubs his hands against vent. His phone rings and Yue already knows who It is. She doesn't want to hear their conversation so she busies herself cleaning off her class ring. She can hear Sukis voice on the other line. That figures. When he hangs up with her Sokka looks over at Yue. She ignores him and starts up the car.

"So thanks a lot for that, I'll give you a ride up to the store." She says.

"Anytime, how have you really been?"

Working my ass to death, lonely, betrayed, hurt, heartbroken.

"I've been fine, really, how have you and Suki been?"

He seems to falter at her question. "We've been doing good, I guess."

"That's good."

She pulls up to the store to let him out. She puts the car in park and the doors automatically unlocked. "I'll see you around sometime? All of us are going out to the beach next weekend...in case you know..."

"I have some things to take care of next weekend, I don't think a beach party is really at the top of my agenda right now." She says with an apologetic smile. "Thanks anyway."

Sokkas face falls, and she feels her heart wrench a bit. She turns away from him and focused on her steering wheel.

"Oh okay, but I'll see you later." He gets out and closes the door behind him. Yue gives him a small wave and smile before pulling off.

He curses himself.

This is the third time the woman of his dreams has left him in the rain. He shouldn't feel bad, he has broken her heart beyond repair. He shouldn't still be loving her, he shouldn't still be wanting her and caring about her. What he did was his mistake, he doesn't deserve her. Sokka thinks that if he were her he wouldn't give him the time of day. Yue can do a lot better than him.

Later on when Sokka returns back to his house he sits in the driveway staring at the screen on his phone. Its on Yues contact, he never bought up himself to delete it. He thinks back on their encounter at the grocery store, Yue is a terrible liar. Sokka knows she doesn't have anything planned, she just doesn't like being in the same space as him and Suki.

What he has to say to her doesn't have anything to do with Suki, it's just between them.

His fingers hesitate, should he call her or should he text her? Should he even attempt to contact her at all? He sighs heavily. Pushing his thoughts aside calls her. He thinks he's made a mistake, the phone rings twice, and then again. He's just about to hang up when he hears her light voice on the other end of the phone.

"Hey, Yue." He clears his throat.

"Sokka? Is something wrong?"

"No everything's fine, I was just calling to ask you something."

"Uhh, okay. What is it?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go and grab lunch sometime this week, probably Thursday, you know as friends?"

"Sokka," she sighs through the phone. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Just as friends, to catch up and stuff. It'll be nothing more than that, I promise."

"Alright, fine."

"I'll see you at Ichurikos at one, that sound good to you?"

"Yeah, it is. I'll talk to you later."

Sokka hangs up after saying goodbye. He places his phone in his pocket and gathers up the bags from the passenger seat. Just as he's getting out of his truck Suki comes to the door. She's holding her stomach and is waiting rather impatiently for him. When he sees Suki he thinks of Yue.

He knows he may be playing in the danger zone just by being out in public with Yue but he hates the fact that they left off on a bad note.

"It took you long enough, we were about to starve!" She snatches the bag of chips and dip from his hands. Sokka closes the door and locks it. "What took you?"

"You know, maybe it was the pouring down rain?" He he walks over and gets on one knee with his hands placed on her belly. "And how are you my little bean?"

"She's been kicking all day and moving around." Suki smiles, "She's calmed down now because she knows you're here."

Suki is three months pregnant, though she doesn't know the sex of the baby she just calls it a girl because that's what she is hoping for. Her parents were less than pleased when she told them she was pregnant, they have a strong dislike about getting pregnant before marriage.

"You mean he, and have you spoken to Katara?" He asks as he makes his way to the kitchen. Suki plops down on the sofa and kicks her feet up.

"Not since she found out about Zuko and that sandal of his." She calls.

"She didn't find out on her own, you told her!"

"You know she was going to find out sooner or later." She says dryly, "after this she'll probably have her closure."

Sokka comes back into the living room and sits next to her with a bowl of boiled meat. "Yeah, I'll check on her later on. When she gets like that she doesn't really like to be bothered."

"Zukos party is coming up soon. Do you think she'll go?"

"Probably not, then again who knows?"

Suki is quiet for a moment and eats her dip using her index finger. "Tyuya says that it's gonna be kind of a big party. There's going to be caterers, a live band other stuff like that."

"Whose that?"

"That's the planner that Mai is using."

"How do you know her?"

"Because she used to come to my self defense class, why?"

"Nothing," he says, "it's just that name sounds so familiar to me."

Suki remains silent as she thinks back to last year, what's done In the dark will every ally come to the light. She refuses to meddle in anything else.

She smiles as Sokka pulls her shirt above her belly and rubs her stomach. She knows that he will be an amazing father, but she frowns at the fact that she will never amount up to the woman that he is still in love with.

"I love you." She hears him say. It's gotten to the point where she doesn't know If he's telling her that or the baby. She pats his head.

"We love you too."

.0.

"So I've got some comedy flicks, horror flicks, chick flicks..." Yue says as she goes through the box of DVDs in her bedroom at her fathers home. "Anything special you would want to watch?"

"I'm too much of a wuss to watch any type of horror flick, I'm not in the mood to laugh. I guess we'll go for a chick flick." Katara tells her as she gets comfortable on the big couch. It's a Friday night, and it was Yues idea to have to a good old fashioned movie night. It's just the two of them like the good old days.

"There's nothing to be scared of, our dad's are right downstairs in the man cave. Not to mention I have mace and my old baseball bat."

Katara softly laughs. "We should've invited Toph, Azula and Song."

Yue sits cross legged next to her and pulls the blanket up to her chin. "I thought about that too, but when's the last time that it was just us? You know, the dynamic duo like back in middle school."

"Alright, what's the problem?" Katara crosses her arms over her chest. "The last time we had just a girls movie night you found out that Sokka was cheating on... Does this have something to do with Sokka?"

Yue shrugs. "He called me a couple of days ago."

"What'd he say?"

"He wants to get coffee Thursday and just talk, like friends."

"So what did you say?"

"I said yes."

Katara slumps and frowns.

"Do you think I did a bad thing? I knew I should've have said no!" Yue buries her head in a pillow.

"Honestly I don't know. Obviously there's some things that you two still need to talk about. There isn't any harm in talking about anything, You two ended so terribly. I think it's a good thing that you're doing this, I really do." Katara pats her friends back. "You know it isn't about what me or anyone else thinks, it's about you. Follow your heart but take your mind with you."

"That was really good advice," Yue says when she raises her head. "I'm really impressed right now." Usually it's Yue giving the good advice, it's nice of Katara to do it for a change.

"I've been brushing up on my advice skills lately." Katara smiles.

"It's just that I don't want to cause problems between him and Suki."

"She was causing problems when you and Sokka were together! What's the problem? you guys will just be talking!"

Yue sighs, "I'll go, but if he tries any funny business I'm leaving without a second though about it."

"Good for you." Katara pats her hand as she checks her messages. Yue frowns and tried to snatch the phone away from her. Katara is quicker and moves her hand just in time.

"Is that Jet?" Yue asks. "Please tell me you are not talking to him, Katara."

"...it's not Jet."

"Then who is it?"

"..." Katara blinks, "it's nobody!"'

Yue lunges at her, this time she successfully gets the phone out of the other girls hand and runs into the bathroom.

"Yue! Give me back my phone!" Katara scrambles out of the sheets and goes after twists on the bathroom door, it's locked. She sighs and puts her hands on her hips.

"Open up the door, Yue."

"No." She says back through the door. "Oh my gosh. I cannot believe you're still talking to him after what he did to you."

"Just open the door and give me my phone back."

There's a long pause. Katara twists on the door again.

"You're taking him back?" Yue asks incredulously. "Really Katara?"

The phone rings, it's a text message. Katara twists on the door. She knows it's a message from Jet just by the ringtone. "Yue give it back! Yue? What did he say?"

"...He says that he loves you and he wants to marry you one day." Yue opens the door to her bathroom and gives her back the phone. Katara stuffs it in her bra.

"That still won't stop me from getting It. I've been in your bra a bunch of times. When were you going to tell me that you were taking him back?"

"I was going to, I mean I haven't really taken him back yet. I just don't know."

"Just because he's good for your vagina doesn't mean he's good for your heart." Yue replies back smartly. "You must really love that guy."

"I don't love him."

"Then what is it?"

Katara goes over and sits on the bed. "It's like, i don't need him but at the same time I want him. I think I do love him but then again I don't. I don't have anyone else to go to when I need someone, it's confusing I know."

"It's not confusing, and I understand completely. You're keeping him by you for those lonely nights because you don't want to start over with someone new and he's one of the very few people that you trust with your body but not your heart."

"How did you know?"

"Because I'm in the same predicament with this man I know. We aren't a couple but we aren't single either. I don't really like to talk about it."

"Ohhh..." Katara closes her eyes. "Honestly Yue, what do you think about this whole Zuko situation?"

"What does your mind tell you?"

"Fuck him, he should go crawl under a rock and die, he's a low down cheating bastard-"

"-Okay that's enough of that." Yue puts a hand on her shoulder. "Now, what does your heart say?"

"It's saying that I still love him, and I still miss him. Sokka told me that true love never dies, you'll always love that person no matter what they do or where they go."

Yue Is stunned for a moment. "Well that's true."

There's a moment of silence. Yue claps her hands together, "Enough about them. Tonight's just supposed to be drama and stress free, no boys allowed right?"

"Yeah, you're right." Katara agrees.

"I'm going to get a drink, you want anything?"

"Uh, yeah a coke will be fine."katara watches as Yue leaves the room. Once she's gone she reaches into her bra and takes out her phone, and then a small wad of clear wrapping sandwich paper. On the inside are two rectangular pills. She pulls them out and holds them in her closed hand until Yue returns. Katara takes the pills with her drink, she'll never get used to the bitter taste the medicine has.

Her therapy sessions aren't going to well and her doctor has pulled her off the medicine that she knows she needs. This caused Katara to get her medicine another way, from a street dealer. She doesn't know the guy but Jet does. Jet hooked her up with him a couple of years back. Katara never used the guy back then but now she finds herself making up for lost time.

Yue is fast asleep in the bed She lets out a breath once she feels the medicine working. She needs this, this way she can escape from all of her problems.

.0.

"You're late?" He asks, "Are you pregnant?"

The woman whips around from the vanity and looks at him sharply. "No, hopefully not. I cannot afford to have a child ruin my figure." She turns back around and continues brushing her long black hair.

Zuko mumbles under his breath as he gets into his large bed. He hopes that Mai isn't pregnant, they've only been married for three years. Frankly he doesn't want a child by her, she really isn't the motherly type. She's just told him she hadn't gotten her monthly yet, hopefully she's just really late. She's never been this late before and now he's starting to worry. They've been having sex every other night since they have been married. Yet now it's been less and less. They've never made love before, and Zuko thinks they never will.

"You should go get a test just in case."

"You know those things really don't work." She pulls her robe right around her body as she stands. Zukos fingers feels his now healing nose as he watches her. She gracefully turns off all the lights and closes the curtains In the bedroom. Her pale skin, jet black hair and amber eyes are a common trait among the fire nation people. Zuko remembers how he once found it anciently beautiful has now gotten a bit, dare he say it boring.

She slips into bed besides him. "I talked to your mother earlier. She says she'll be coming to visit soon."

Zuko rolls his eyes as he lays with his back against the bed. He knows that there is more behind this little visit than just casual talk and tea. Ursa is not too fond of Mai, Zuko knows it's because she prefers Katara better. His mother is very blunt, outspoken, brash and confident. Yet she is kind hearted, sympathetic and caring all the same.

"Did she say exactly when she will be coming?"

"No, just that she would be coming soon. You know she loves to do pop ups at peoples homes. I'm surprised that she even called to say she was coming at all."

"She does love surprises."

"Honestly though, I still think you should press charges on her. She assaulted you, how can you just let that go?" She coldly complains.

Ever since the night he came home a bloody mess she's been on his back about taking these matters to court. Of course Zuko isn't going to do that because it would only cause more problems between him and Katara. Spirits knows he doesn't need that.

"I told you already, everything is fine."

"Well, there's the damage to your car. You have a broken nose, she embarrassed you in front of the entire department! She's ruining your image." She counts all the incidents on her skinny fingers.

"It'll be fine. Pressing charges will only cause more problems for all of us."

"You know what I think?"

Zuko sighs, "You're just going to say it anyway even if I don't want to hear it."

"I'm being serious here Zuko, I think we should move."

"What?" He turns the lamp on and looks over at her. "It was your idea to move here in the first place!"

Mai makes a face and moves her long black hair behind her shoulders. "Yes, it was my idea to move her but now I'm seeing that it's becoming a distraction. There really isn't anything here for us anymore."

"So, you knew she lived right across the street?"

"..." Zuko frowns heavily at her silence. He had a feeling she had done this on propose but he only pushed it to the side. He should have never thought that Mai's mean streak would be erased just because they are married.

"Why would you even do this?"

"It was for fun and now I'm bored." She drawls. "You let me pick out the house and neighborhood and I did some research and I decided on this one. You have millions so what's the big deal? You can move a thousand times it wouldn't affect your money."

"For fun? You moved here to toy with peoples emotions and you think that it's fun?"

Mai's face remains expressionless. "Yes. What's the big deal? She lost I won, I've had my fun. So tomorrow I'll be looking at other properties."

"What pleasure do you get out of patronizing people?" His eyebrows come together, and his frown deepens with every passing moment. "If I didn't know any better I would say that you're jealous of her in some way!"

Mai Is appalled, she places a hand on her chest and her mouth opens in horror. "Jealous?" She screeches.

"Yes, jealous!" Zuko shouts back. He knows that if this yelling match goes on any longer the neighbors will most likely call the police, but he doesn't care.

"Jealous of what?"

"I don't know, but I know you're threatened by her in some way. That's the only reason I can see, that's why you're going out of your way to make her feel bad."

"I don't give a damn about her!" She yells as she jumps out of the bed. Zuko guesses that she hasn't taken her medicine today, that's why she's lashing at him as she is.

"That's not the way you're behaving. You're afraid that she can probably snatch me away from you at any time she pleases. You're afraid that one day I will leave you for her, that's why you're so threatened by her."

Mai says nothing. Her fists are balled at her sides and she's shaking, her golden eyes are in narrow slits and are as cold as ice. "You should be careful what you say Zuko, if I didnt know any better I would say that you're still in love with her. Id say that you still want the bitch."

Zuko exhales a breath and pinches his nose in frustration. He knew this day would come eventually, just not this soon. "She isn't a bitch alright?"

"You do.." She says lowly, "My own husband wants another woman!"

"Alright, look Mai. It's really late and I have work in the morning and now really isn't the time to talk about this. How about you just take your meds and we can discuss this while you're in your right mind." He attempts to grab her and lay her back in the bed. She jerks away.

"Well, since you still love her and since you still want to be with her lets go see if she still wants you!" She dashes out of the bedroom door and down the stairs. Zuko goes behind her to stop her.

"Mai!" He calls to her, "Get back here!" He curses loudly as she's already out the front door, clad in nothing but her short night gown. He goes behind her, by now the dogs are barking and neighbors are peeping their heads out. Mai makes it to Kataras front door and bangs loudly with her fist before Zuko tears her away.

She fusses and puts up a fight, he restrains her as best as he can. His heart skips a beat as he realizes all the lights are on, she isn't asleep. His mind failed to register the white Camry in her driveway that belonged to Toph, and the sky blue truck that belonged to the monk. Just as he's turning away to retreat back into his own home the front door of Kataras house opens.

"Hey!" A light voice calls out to him. "Just what the hell do you think you two are doing?" Zuko turns. Toph is standing on the steps in a sleep shirt with her arms crossed.

"It's nothing Toph, really. Just a misunderstanding." Zuko says as he still struggles to keep Mai still. Aang appears next with Momo in his arms and looks at them all curiously.

"No, it's not!" Mai says coldly, "Put me down, I'm not some wild animal!" She slaps him away, "I've come to speak to Katara, woman to woman and face to face."

Zuko groans as he throws his hands up in the air.

"What do you have to talk about with Katara?" Aang frowns, "You two aren't friends the last time I checked, Mai."

"Yeah, she doesn't want to talk to either of you." Toph adds, "Plus, now really isn't the best time to disturb her. What's gotten your panties all twisted, dishrag?"

"Well that's too bad." Mai drawls. "Where is she?"

"What's going on out here?" Jet emerges from the house shirtless, wearing nothing but pants. He looks as though he's just woken up from a deep sleep. Katara comes out behind him wearing short blue shorts and a white tank top.

Zuko looks from Jet to Katara, jet catches on and a satisfactory smirk crosses his lips. Zuko isn't stupid, he knows what that look means. He's just slept with her, and he enjoyed it. Zuko knows because he's used that exact same look before. He feels enraged to know he has slept with her, he's holding it in as best as he can and Jet knows this.

Katara doesn't look at him. Her blue eyes stay trained on Mai. "Why are you in my yard?" She asks.

Jet places an arm around her waist, and to Zuko and Mai's surprise she doesn't try to move. It's then that Zuko sees the cloudiness in her eyes, the slight swaying in her posture, and the looseness of her lips. This isn't katara, this isn't the Katara he knows at least.

Something's wrong.

Something's wrong and he can feel it in his gut.

A smile crosses Mai's features, "I like you're shrubs. They're very shrubby." she says as she turns to walk away.

Toph arches an eyebrow. Zuko sighs.

Mai saying that she likes the other woman's shrubs was a less than great save. "Come on Zuko, let's go back home."

She brushes past him and heads towards the house. Jet kisses the top of Kataras head and rubs her back, she leans into him.

"Zuko, are you coming or not?" Mai asks from the sidewalk.

Zuko looks at Katara. Their eyes meet and she looks away from him. He then leaves and joins Mai. Something's going on with Katara, and he's going to find out what it is even it means the death of him.

**.0.**

"When is she supposed to be back?" The woman asks as after she regains her normal breathing. The man in the bed besides her finally regains his breath and turns flat on his back.

"I don't know, probably sometime tonight I guess. The shifts from her second job are crazy." He locks his arms around her waist and kisses on her neck. "I don't care because it'll give us more time for each other."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." She moans as his hands travel to her bare thighs. "Oh, Chang." He slides on top of her and spreads her legs with his knee. She raises her hips up to meet his wraps her legs around his waist.

He leans up and looks over her body, "I can only imagine his expression if Zuko finds out about us."

She reaches up and wraps her arms around his neck. "Zuko who?"

He laughs and slides inside her. Her back arches up and her chest presses up against his as he works inside of her body.

"I love you, Chang."

"I love you too, Mai."

**READ and REVIEW**


	8. Chapter 8

**story Title**: The Casualties of Love

**Author**: XxToToXx

**Full Summary: it was three years ago in the summer that the Fire Prince left Katara and married Mai. Now In the fall The seemingly happily married couple returns back to republic city. Zuko sees that Kataras had moved on and is happy, but not everything is as it seems. Hearts will be broken, hidden conspiracies arise, true feelings will be exposed and murderous intentions will be put into action. In this story you will find out that the saying is true, Love can make you do some crazy things.**

_If there's a pill to help me forget_

_Lord knows I haven't found It yet_

_But I'm dying to_

_God I'm trying to_

_Trying not to love you_

_Only goes so far_

_Trying not to need you_

_Is tearing me apart_

_Can see the silver lining_

_Down here on the floor_

_I just keep on trying_

_But I don't know what for_

_Cause trying not to love you_

_Only makes me love you more_

_- Nickleback_

**Chapter eight: Truths**

"Here," Jet says as he hands her the remote to her television, "Did you want anything else to eat?"

Katara takes it and turned her back to him. Lately she's been feeling a boat load of fatigue out of nowhere. She fights the feeling at work by drinking energy drink after energy drink, but when she gets home she just goes down. She told Aang and Aang told Toph, so somehow Jet found out. Now all three of them are here to watch over her like she's some type of child. Jet rubs her back, she unnoticeably inches away a little. When she was texting him at Yue's house she was only considering to take him back but that was only because she had gotten lonely.

"I'm fine, Jet. I just want to sleep." She says. A few nights ago she had gotten woken up out of her sleep by yelling. She went downstairs to see that Mai and Zuko were in her yard. Katara had already taken her sleeping medicine because she had been restless, she wasn't in for any type of confrontation. Then Mai said that she liked her shrubs, Katara knew that wasn't what she was there for but she brushed it off. She saw how Zuko looked so suspiciously at Jet, he probably thought they were sleeping together but they weren't.

Who cares what Zuko thinks?

"I'll be in the next room if you need anything, alright?" He tells her, she only nods in return. After a moment of lingering he finally leaves out of the room and closes the door behind him. In a way she wishes they would all go back to their homes. She would prefer to be left alone than to be surrounded by people.

The next morning Katara gets up with intentions to leave the house in peace. She slips on a pair of grey sweats with a white t shirt and sandals. It's funny to her that she has to sneak out of her own house. She dashes down the stairs and out the front door. Once outside she walks briskly to the semi hidden path and stone steps that lead down to the beach. She's glances across the street, Zukos new car isn't there. She finds it strange because it's five in the morning, he usually doesn't leave until seven.

Like she cares.

The sand feels amazing under her feet, when was the last time she watched the sun rise? When was the last time she even went to the beach at all? Things have been so crazy lately, she hasn't even had time. She goes up to the shore and takes a seat, burying her hands in the sand behind her. Her feet catch the cool water that's washing up on the shore. Nothing but the ocean slapping together and the light breeze. She sighs, all she wants is peace and quiet-

"Katara?" She cringes at the sound of her name being called and whips around. Zuko is standing there with his hands in the pockets of his loose jogging suit. She guesses he drove to the beach parking lot when he could've just walked. She stands and wipes the sand from her hands, she doesn't want to be bothered.

"No, wait!" He calls out, "please."

"What do you want?" She crosses her arms. The sun is slowly beginning to rise. Any woman would have dreamed of being on this beach with Zuko Agni, they would kill to be in her position.

"You don't have to leave." He says sincerely, "We can watch it together." By it he means the sunrise, he's saying that they can watch the sunrise together.

Like they used to do.

She dislikes this because she actually wants to stay and watch it, it's been so long. Not wanting to miss the subset she stomps back over to her spot plops back down. He sits down next to her and she scoots away. She draws a line in the sand with a stick.

"You stay on your side and I'll stay on mine." She says childishly. Zuko agrees to her terms and stays on his side. She prefers if this way because she's right an ocean, she can attack him all day if she wants. Zuko looks at her a bit cautiously before settling next to her. This is where they first met, on the beach. She was taking a little walk and he was jogging with Lu Ten. Zuko kind of ran into her, literally, and the rest is history. As minutes pass she begins to get annoyed by his presence. He's only watching the sunrise just as he said they would do, he really isn't doing anything wrong.

"Why Zuko?" She questions, he turns his eyes on her and blinks.

"Why what?"

"Why'd you do it?"

"Do wh-oh..." He awkwardly scratches the back of his head. "Do you want the whole story or do you want the basics only?"

"I want the whole thing, and don't skip any corners. Don't lie because I'll blue able to tell, I'll drown you." Katara doesn't know why she's doing this, she doesn't know why she's talking to him to see his side of things. The girl can't help but be curious as to why his actions were so vulgar. Zuko takes a deep breath.

"Well, it all started three years ago when the board of directors predicted that the corporation would plummet by the beginning of the next year. We couldn't afford that, plus in it's entire history Sozins Corp never failed. My great grandfather and my grandfather along with my own father had it prospering, but I guess every business sees dark days at least once. So, an agreement was made between Mai's father and mine. We had to get married so that her father could save us before we crashed and lost everything. Turns out, we still stayed number two on boards, we didn't crash. And now..."

"And now what Zuko?"

He sucks in a breath. "If I leave Mai she'll expose the entire company. She has copies of all the dirty work both me and my father have done." He grabs both sides of her face an stares her dead in the eyes, "She's black mailing me, Katara. Do you hear me?"

Her eyes widen, "Black mailing you why? What have you done?"

"It's so much, Katara. Those papers she has will lock me and my father away for ten lifetimes." He releases her face and runs his hands through his hair in frustration. Katara stares at him, waiting for him to say something else.

"Oh my god, you're telling the truth!" He gasps. "Zuko, why didn't you tell me all of this sooner?"

"Because you wouldn't hear anything that I had to say earlier, you were too busy breaking noses and tackling people."

"You have to go to the police, you have to tell someone about her-"

"- just whose going to believe the sweet, innocent, goody two shoes Mai? It's too risky Katara, I really shouldn't have even told you."

"Then why did you tell me?"

"Because I trust you, and only you."

"So, what are you going to do about her?" She changes the brief subject off of her.

"I don't know, I'm still searching for a solution to this."

"Well," she grips his hand in hers, "Yeah. It's sort of a load."

"Yeah, I know." He grunts, she looks away.

"Sorry about messing up your car and beating you up, even though you could've fought back."

"It's okay, material things can always be replaced and wounds can always heal over time." He rubs the bridge of his nose, "I forgot how hard you can hit."

"Well, growing up with Sokka and a bunch of other boys you can't be a wuss."

She laughs, he laughs as well.

"You know, it wasn't my Idea to move right across the street from you. At your birthday party it was Mai who broadcasted about the engagement, I didn't want anything to do with that. It was her who wanted you to sing so badly at the wedding. By the way, why did you even do it?"

She pulls her legs up to her chest. "Because, I figured that if I didn't show up she would've thought that she won. I don't want her to ever think that she's intimidating me."

"I can understand that. That day was the worst day of my entire life."

"Why? It was your wedding day. You should've been on top of the world."

"Not necessarily."

"Why not?"

"Because I wasn't getting married to the woman that my heart truly belongs to, Katara I don't love her."

"So you only married her to save the company, but the company didn't crash and now you're stuck with her because she'll send those papers to god knows where if you leave her?"

"Yes, I can understand if you hate me, I hated myself after that." Zuko scratches the back of his neck in shame. "Still haven't forgiven myself."

"I don't hate you, I never did hate you."

Zuko whips his head back in her direction. "What?"

"I said i don't hate you. I was just really, really, really disappointed in you and I still am. You should've told me what was going on from the start. Yet that doesn't change the fact that you left me high and dry for another woman. Plus, you slept with her while we were still together."

"I didn't want you involved in that, it's too dangerous." He insists, "And I can't apologize enough for that."

"It's taken you all this time to be honest?" She drawls, "You should've came to me as soon as this happened Zuko."

"I couldn't, it was hard."

"So you really did sleep with her?"

"Yes."

"How many times?"

"Four."

"You bastard." She curses him. "If I'm in love with you nothing is too dangerous. You can't get just shut me out and leave me in the dark like that. Does Ursa know? What about Azula and the others?"

"My dad knows. I doubt my mothers does, Ozai doesn't let her Into things like this. my uncle is trying to find a way to stop her now. Azula most likely knows but she would let on that she doesn't."

Katara frowns, "So how long are you going to let her do this?"

"Until I can find a way to stop her."

"Kill her."

Zuko does a double take at her. "You're really crazy."

"I know. Well, not kill her. You can just lock her away in an underground box or something."

"...…"

"Well you have to do something. No one wants to be stuck in a marriage like that. Exactly how did she get those papers anyway? How do you know she really even has them?"

Zuko sighs and hangs his head, "She went through both safes I have at home and at the office. She has copies, spirits only knows how many."

"So, why did you two come in my yard that night?"

"She wanted to confront you."

Katara laughs, "About what?"

"Because we had an argument and came to the conclusion that I still love you, which I do and she wanted to see if you still loved me." He says, "Did we...interrupt something?"

Katara blinks at him. All this time Mai has been jealous of her because she knows that Zuko still loves her. But that doesn't explain exactly why she would move them right across the street from her. Just what would Mai have done if Katara told that she still loves Zuko. Maybe she had changed her mind because she saw a shirtless Jet come from out of her home. Jet was only there because he wanted to check up on her. She has yet to find out who told him about her being sick. She's sure that they got the wrong impression that night. She knows it like something more than it was.

"You think that Jet and I...?"

"Well, that's how it looked." Zuko says dryly, "is that true?"

"Don't you and Mai have have sex?"

"I don't touch her, she touches me and she uses protection."

"She?" Katara raises an eyebrow.

"You know, that little pill you women take so that you can't get pregnant?"

"Ohhhh..."

"So, between you and Jet?"

"Of course it's not true. We aren't together and we haven't had sex in months."

"Okay, that's too much info for me." Zuko stands and dusts himself off. "I have to get dressed and get to the office before I'm late. I can give you a lift back home if you like."

"That's okay, I'm just gonna hang out here for a while."

Zuko stares at her a while longer, "So...I'm guessing you're not mad at me anymore?"

"No, I'm still mad."

Zukos face falls. "Oh..."

"But I'll get over it sooner or later, it'll be later than sooner."

Zuko smiles.

Katara smiles back.

She watches him as he walks away. A heavy burden has been lifted off of her chest, but that hurt is still there. Who is she fooling? She won't ever be able to trust Zuko again. She won't ever be able to love him the way she used to.

When she returns back home she sees that Aang and Toph are gone off to work. Hopefully they've taken Jet with them. He's becoming quite the burden.

"Morning sunshine!"

She sighs.

Jet stands in the foyer fully dressed with his hands in his pockets.

"Good morning Jet." She says back dryly as she walks past him up the stairs.

"Mind giving me a lift back home?"

"Yes I do."

"Come on 'Tara, my ride won't be out of the shop until Wednesday." He explains, "Unless you wanna be stuck with me for two days, I can stay a bit longer."

"No, I'll take you back." She replies, quickly grabbing her keys.

The ride back to jets place is silent. The only sounds are the radio and Jets occasional sigh. He reaches and presses buttons on the radio. He pulls a small plastic item out of his jean pocket and places it on her thigh. Katara glances down at it, it's the pills she's asked him for. She tucks them under her leg.

"Can you please not touch my radio?" She asks.

"God, I hate that song." Jet complains. "There's nothing on any of these channels, why don't you just get the XM radio or something? It'll be much better than this crap."

"Leave my radio alone." She says again. "It satisfies me."

"Fine." He says finally and leans back in his seat. "So, what were you doing with Agni at the beach?"

She side glances at him, "Were you stalking me or something?"

"It's kind of hard not to see two people sitting on the beach from your backyard, Katara."

"Well that's entirely none of your business."

"If it's something dealing with you then it is my business,"

"No it's not, we aren't together."

"Yet you still love me."

"I don't."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

"Whatever."

She's glad when they finally make it to his apartment complex. Jet doesn't get out right away, he sits and lingers for a while.

"You have to stop seeing him, Katara. I'm serious."

"What? I'm not seeing Zuko! If you haven't gotten the memo yet, dummy he's married. Plus you and I aren't even together. You shouldn't be worrying about who I'm seeing!" She retorts.

"When he just breaks your heart again don't come cryin' to me!" Jet opens to the door and hops out. Katara rolls the passenger side window down.

"He hasn't done anymore damage than what you have!" She rolls the window back up and pulls off.

The next morning she's in her office going over a stack of patient files. Yue sits on the couch with her own paperwork.

"Soo..." Yue starts.

"So what?"

"You believe what Zuko is saying?"

"It sounds believable to me. Besides, I really don't think that he has much of an attachment to Mai. Have you ever seen them out together?" Katara leans back in her chair, "They don't even do couple stuff."

"Well, come to think of it I did see Mai the other day, but it wasn't with Zuko..."

"Who was the guy?" Katara asks.

"I don't know him personally, but I know he went to high school with us tenth grade year. I think his name is Chang."

Yues eyes widen when the pen Katara is writing with breaks in two. "Chang? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, now that I think about it that was him. I wonder what those two were doing together. They're total opposites." Yue wonders as she leans back on the couch. "Then they were coming out of a restaurant, it was probably a date."

"I don't know but whatever it is it can't be good, Chang is bad Yue, not to mention that he's Azulas ex boyfriend."

"I'm lost. I didn't even know they dated."

It's a lot of things you don't know.

"It was the summer you went away to the states with your father. Azula met Chang and he kind of bought her down, he was controlling, violet, abusive, an alcoholic. It got so bad that started stalking her. Ozai had to get restraining orders, then he Chang went to jail and we never saw him again." Katara sighs. "Good riddance too."

"I never knew." Yue shakes her head.

"It was pretty bad so they told everyone not To talk about it. So, whatever Mai and Chang Have going on it can't be good. I doubt Zuko knows about that."

"...You've been with Chang a couple of times to haven't you?" Yue stands and walks to her desk.

_"Excuse _me?"

"I saw the text messages the night you stayed over at my place, Katara please don't lie."

"I'm not lying about anything." Katara closes her portfolio shut. "I've never been in the same room as him Yue like I told you he's bad."

"Drugs are bad too."

"It was only one time Yue and I needed it!"

"Alright just _stop it_ Katara!" Yue says sternly. "I know I was wrong for invading your privacy that night in the bathroom, but I'm your friend and I'm going to tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear!"

Katara crosses her legs and arms.

"It was more than one time, it was numerous times Katara! Don't you understand that that stuff is dangerous? You probably deal with drug addicts everyday!"

_"I am not a drug addict!"_

"I've _seen _you Katara. I've seen you that time at my house, at the restaurant, that last time I've came over." Yue shakes her head and gives her a disappointed look. "You have to stop this before it gets worse. You have to stay away from Jet and better yet, even further away from Chang. Look, it even looks like you're on this damned pills now!"

"I know what I'm doing! I don't need you on my case like this! Just when did you turn into my mother?" Katara yells as she stands and slams her hands on her desk.

"Do you really think your mother would be happy with you right now?" Yue yells back. "Look at you! You've become a prisoner of your own mind and you don't even know it!"

"I don't need to hear this from you!"

"Well, that's too bad! Because cause you're going to hear it whether you like it or not!" The white haired woman says back. "I won't sit around and allow you to mess your body up. You have to stop this Katara!"

"I'm not stopping anything! I'm fine!" Katara shouts. "It has nothing to do with you Yue!"

"When it comes down to my best friend then it does have something to do with me!"

"Well excuse me if everyone's not perfect and stuck in their perfect little worlds like perfect little miss Yue!" Katara angrily uses her hands for emphasis. "Everything and everyone has to be perfect with you! Excuse me if I don't fucking fit into your world!"

Yues eyes widen a fraction, probably in shock, and her painted lips part. A hurt look crosses her face and she shakes her head and begins to gather her things. "I cannot even talk to you right now. This obviously isn't the Katara that I know."

Yue slams the door behind her when she leaves.

Katara slumps back down in her seat with a sigh. She did mean to tell Yue that, she's had enough of all the perfectionist jokes in their school years. Yue was always beautiful, and smart and talented, Katara wasn't born like that. She goes through her last medical file and opens it.

This patient is two months pregnant. That's typical, Women get pregnant all the time. One of the other doctors examined her and forgot to authorize Katara picks up the phone to call woman's pharmacy to give her an extra refill on her vitamins. When she flips back to the front of the folder her eyes widen and the phone drops to the floor.

_Agni, Mai_

**.0.**

"Where were you this morning?" Mai asks coldly as soon as Zuko steps foot through the front door. "Ty Lee said you came in pretty late, but you left the house really early."

Zuko sighs and slams his briefcase on the table. "Look, Mai I'm a grown man. You can't be keeping tabs on me and clocking me."

"Is that so?" She stands and walks gracefully over to him. Her long hair is down and her silk sleeping robe is open, revealing her black underwear. "You were probably somewhere with her weren't you?"

"If I was Mai that really isn't your business."

"Of course it's my business when my beloved husband is involved."

"I am not your beloved!" Zuko shouts, "just because we are married that doesn't mean I love you! We've been through this already!"

"That's not what our marriage papers say."

_"You're only my wife under false pretenses."_

"So, when you made love to me on our wedding night was that under false pretenses? Or when you went down-"

"Just stop it Mai!" Zuko loosens his tie as he goes up the stairs. He doesn't want here anything about them being initiate. "Just take your medications and go to sleep."

"I take my medications as I should, because they're legally prescribed to me. I can't say the same for others." Mai purses her thin lips. Zuko turns.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. But what's done in the dark comes to the light." She sings as she walks up the stairs to their bedroom.

**.0.**

"Yo." Jet says casually as he walks into the gym a couple days later and sits down on the bench. Chang looks over at him and grins. Chang and Jet have been best friends for years. Yet, they barely talk and hangout like they used to. Since Chang has recently moved back to the city their meeting place is the gym now.

"My man! Where've you been?" Chang says as he runs the treadmill.

"Katara was a bit under the weather, so i was staying with her until she got better."

"Thought you guys broke up?"

Jet leans back and readies himself to lift the dumbbell. "Yeah, she caught me. Well, she saw what I did with this other chick."

"What other chick?"

Jet raises the bar, "You don't know her. But Katara saw all the messages and pictures. She put my ass out that same night, blood bended me and all."

Chang stops the treadmill and looks at Jet, "That's illegal now isn't it?"

"It's been illegal for like two years now."

"Ah man, how'd this other chick look?"

Jet grunts, "She's okay, I mine she's fine or whatever."

"Ah, I see. Look! Here comes my girl now!" Chang says proudly.

Jet rises from the bench wipes his forehead. His eyes widen when he sees Tyuya, _the woman he was cheating on Katara with _strolling through the door in a skin right red dress. His heart beats loudly in his ears when he watches Chang loop his arms around her waist and smash his hips against hers.

**.0.**

Suki paces back and forth while holding her stomach. The pregnant woman is in quite the predicament, she's been crying and crying her eyes out.

Why?

Because Sokka _didn't_ come home last night, and this is the second time he's done this.

When she called him he wouldn't answer his phone. He wouldn't text her back or return her calls. She's called Aang. Aang said that he hadn't heard from him. Haru hasn't seen him either. Zuko says that he hasn't really spoken to him since that boys night out gig. Lu Ten hasn't seen him either. She's called his father, Hakoda said that he was probably goofing off somewhere and that sometimes he needed his space.

Suki also called Katara, the phone rang for a long time before she answered.

"Hello?" Suki jumps when she hears Katara answer the phone.

"Hi Katara, I know it's late and all-"

"-It's only ten, what's the matter?" Katara asks almost impatiently.

"Sokka didn't come home tonight...again. I was wondering if you knew where he was."

There's a long pause in the phone then Katara sighs. "I don't know where he is. I'm sure he'll be back tomorrow sometime. Was that all?"

"Uh, yeah." Suki hears a lot of shouting and noise in the background, "where are you anyway?"

"I have to go." Katara hangs up.

"Well, that was weird." Suki says to herself as she lays the phone on the kitchen table.

It rings and Suki quickly picks it up again because she thinks it's someone calling about Sokka, or it's Sokka himself. Instead she has a text message, she doesn't know the number though.

'If you're looking for your baby's father you're not looking hard enough, sweetie! lmao.'

Sukis eyebrows come together when she opens the attachments. It's pictures and videos.

Pictures and videos of Sokka and Yue, doing the things that _only lovers _should do. The phone drops out of her hand as the tears fall from her eyes again.

**.0.**

"It's certainly nice to see you, Ursa." Ursa hears Mai say as she more than bolts into hers and Zukos home. Ursa looks around with criticizing eyes as she holds her purse onto her shoulder. The woman wears a modest white button up chiffon shirt with a black pencil skirt and red sandals. Her hair is neat as always and her wedding ring sparkles on her finger.

"How many times do I have to tell you that it's Mrs. Agni to you?" Ursa says flatly. She turns to Mai who quickly hides her scowl. "Now, where is my son?" Ursa looks at her watch, "Our lunch reservations were set for twelve. I don't like being late for anything."

"He said he'll meet us at the restaurant." Mai drawls as she checks her phone. Ursa sighs in annoyance. She isn't too happy about Zuko marrying Mai, she doesn't try to hide it.

"We can go together in my car." Mai offers, Ursa only gives her a look before proceeding out of the front door. Mai hurries up the stairs and gathers the papers she was going over on the bed in a neat pile. She stashes them away in her underwear drawer and hurries back downstairs and out the front door.

She didn't notice it when a paper slipped out her hands in her rush, the paper that shows The Laundering Scheme. It lays flat on their bedroom floor, waiting for someone to pick it up.

**.0.**

** !**

**Read and review**


	9. Chapter 9

**Story title**: The Casualties of Love

**Author:** XxToToXx

**Full summary:it was three years ago in the summer that the Fire Prince left Katara and married Mai. Now In the fall The seemingly happily married couple returns back to republic city. Zuko sees that Kataras had moved on and is happy, but not everything is as it seems. Hearts will be broken, hidden conspiracies arise, true feelings will be exposed and murderous intentions will be put into action. In this story you will find out that the saying is true, Love can make you do some crazy things.**

**A:N: IF YOU DONT LIKE THE LOWPOINTS IN THE STORY DO NOT FUCKING READ. THIS IS TO THE PERSON WHO ASKED WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME. AS I SAID THIS IS A MATURE FANFIC ITLL HAVE THINGS LIKE THIS BITCH ITS REAL LIFE! IF YOU DONT FUCKING LIKE IT DONT READ IT. BTW, IVE CHANGED SOME THINGS. ZUKO NEVER SLEPT WITH MAI WHILE HE WAS WITH KATARA. MAI AND ZUKO HAVENT HAD SEX SINCE THEIR WEDDING NIGHT THREE YEARS AGO. (Excuse my language but that review was terrible) I know what i'm doing! **

**Chapter Nine**: There and back again

"We aren't married, we aren't together and we're barely friends. Zuko is a grown man, I'm waiting on him to make his own decisions. I still love him, I'll never stop loving him. I'll always be in love with Zuko Agni." She concludes as she crosses her legs. "I can't make someone do what they don't want to do. Do you know what I saw?"

Oma shakes her head no.

"Mai is pregnant, she's two months pregnant with Zukos child. You really think he's going to leave me for her now? I doubt it. He's just as trapped as he's ever been."

"How does that make you feel?"

"Terrible, betrayed again, it makes me depressed. That should be me, not her."

"You think he still loves you?"

"I know he does."

"Then why won't you go to him?"

"Because, he's safer with her."

"What do you mean by safer?"

"If he divorces her he'll lose everything."

"I understand. Would you like to know what I think?"

"That's what a therapy session is for."

"You should go and get your man, Katara. That marriage isn't real and it certainly doesn't have any love in it. As for her being pregnant you'll just have to accept it. This is what I want you to do; go home and pull out everything that reminds you of him. I want you to go through pictures, text messages all that jazz. Think about why you loved him in the first place, think about what kept you two together all that time. When you do all of that, I want you to give me a call and tell me your decision."

Katara looks at the woman with teary eyes. She nods and gathers her things. She's going to follow the older woman's directions

And try to come up with a decision.

**.0.**

Zuko grudgingly drives home with his mother, verbally killing him about Mai. IShe tells him that he should've married Katara instead, not Mai. Zuko thought his mother was going to make herself sick from playing nice with Mai.

"I don't know what on earth you see in her. Zuko, something isn't right about her!" Ursa looks at him with worry. "Something is off with that girl."

"Maybe she's stressed and didn't take her medicine. I didn't really notice anything."

"...She's on medicine?!"

Zuko sighs. "Yes, mother."

"I cannot believe this. Where is Katara? Is she still living with Hakoda? I want to see her before I leave."

"Katara lives right across the street, mother."

Ursa mouth opens, "What do you mean right across the street?" Zuko swallows and sighs.

"We moved right across the street from her, but it wasn't my idea!"

"You let your wife pick a house right across the street from your ex girlfriend?" Her holden eyes narrow. "I thought we raised you better than this!"

"It's a long story mother."

"Well, this is a long drive back to your house. I want to know what's going on here." She says in a motherly tone. Zukos hands grip the steering wheel tightly. He knew this day would come where he would have to tell her everything. He just didn't think it would be today. How would she take it? Zuko glances over at his mother again, she's looking at him expectantly.

"It all started three years ago..."

**.0.**

when Katara gets off she doesn't go to her own home. She stays at her fathers house that night. Hakoda doesn't question her, as a matter of fact he's glad she's there. She sits in her old room on the bed. Before her is a box of memories that contains everything between her and Zuko. There are letters, pictures, special little tokens and things as such. She lays them all out In front of her. She picks up the picture of them at the water park, she was like seventeen. Zuko didn't want to go because he hates the water, but he went anyway just to be with her.

Others show their first date, some parties and selfies, them at the mall in the dressing room, little silly photos they've taken. She pauses at the one with them at their senior prom. They were so happy that night, it was magical. She reaches into the box and pulls out her crown, her and Zuko were prom queen and king. She reads through every letter he sent her when he vacationed in the fire nation. She can't help but laugh and smile and laugh at the things he's said.

She pulls out the very first thing he bought her for her birthday. It's a golden heart shaped locket that has a tiny picture of them on the inside. On the outside of the locket are swirling engravings. On the inside were their initials.

_K & Z_

_True Love Never Dies_

A tear falls down her cheek when the locket begins to play the lullaby that her mother would always sing to her. She didn't think that he would remember something like that. They've been through so much together, shared everything and created such a tight bond. He was there when she couldn't sleep at night because she missed her mother, when she didn't have anyone to run to. She could always tell Zuko anything and she didn't have to worry about him judging her. Not only was that her boyfriend, but he was her best friend as well.

When he looked at her she could tell he still loved her.

She looks back down at the locket.

True love never dies.

She sighs, true love can't be broken that easily.

Zuko loves her, he never did stop loving her.

"He never quit loving you." Someone says from the doorway. She lifts her head to see Hakoda standing her. He walks in and sits on her bed.

"I know. It's just that he left me and married someone else." She fiddles with the locket. "That's something someone can't get over in one day."

"And just why did he marry someone else?"

"Because the corporation was about to collapse, so his father arranged him to marry Mai so that her father could save them. The pulled out at the last minute. Now she's blackmailing him, she has these papers that could put him and his father away for lifetimes to come. I don't want that to happen to him..."

"Exactly what papers?"

"I don't really know exactly, just some stuff about his father taking money from other companies, like money laundering and stuff."

Hakodas eyebrows furrow and he nods in understanding. "From what Ozai told me Zuko fought the situation with everything in him. He refused to marry Mai or anything. You see, if Ozai would've lost everything then at that moment Ursa wouldn't have gotten her cancer treatments as she should, Azula would've been forced to stop her studies and they would've been on the street basically. Zuko was placed in a very difficult situation, and as far as him having a fling or two..."

"He never slept with her while he was with me."

"I see, but obviously he doesn't love her. He married her to save his family, Katara he was put in a difficult position." Hakoda tells her. "Did you really think that he would dump you and leave you for nothing at all? The boy loves you!"

"Mai is pregnant, dad."

"What?"

"She's two months pregnant. I saw it on her file at work. I won't penetrate that."

"Does Zuko know?"

"I doubt it."

Katara begins placing away the items way back in the box. Hakoda watches his daughters with sad eyes. "You need to talk to him. You two need understanding, believe me. You can't let a good love pass you up Katara. If you don't fix this now, one day you'll look back at it and will wish you would have."

"I'm still mad at him." She murmurs.

"It's alright to be mad, be mad Katara but don't be stupid."

She remains quiet as she stares down at the locket. Even when her father leaves she stays rooted in that same spot. She gets up to throw the locket away in the trash can downstairs.

She hesitates.

_"I know you said that you don't like jewelry too much," Zuko starts as he pulls out a small blue box with a white ribbon tied around it, "but I think that you'll really love this."_

_Katara takes the box from his hand with a smile. "I wonder what this could be." Her eyes widen as she pulls out a golden locket with tiny engravings and swirls._

_"This is beautiful." She says as she examines it._

_"Open it. The true beauty is on the inside, like you've told me." Zuko says as he pulls out his phone and records her._

_"Oh Zuko..." She starts when the music begins to play. "This is..." Tears roll down her cheeks. "This is my lullaby." She reads the inscription. 'K & Z True Love Never Dies' "_

_"It means that no matter where I am, no matter who I'm with or what I'm doing, dead or alive I'll still love you no matter what. I love you from the top of the pillars in heaven-"_

_"-all the way down to the bottom pits in hell." She finishes for him. "This is just so beautiful." Throws her arms around his neck and he pulls her closer and tighter. "I love you too." She tells him._

_"I'll never stop loving you Katara, never." He tells her. "I'll never hurt you."_

Katara pulls her arm back To her and looks down at the locket after the flashback leaves her mind.

No.

She closes down the trashcan and puts the locket in her pocket. She pulls out the clearly wrapped pills in her purse and crumbles them up. She doesn't need that anymore, she won't deal with that anymore.

She refuses to let Zuko do this.

She refuses to let this happen. They've put so much work, blood sweat and tears into that relationship, she gave him years of her life! She won't just toss it away like it was a piece if trash. Zukos fought for it. He always called and texted her and sent letters even if she declined them all. He's tried to apologize and and explain things to her numerous times and she's only been a bitch about it.

She runs to the foyer and grabs keys of the table.

"Where are you going Katara?" Hakoda calls from the living room.

"I'm going to get my man back!" She hollers as she rushes out of the door.

Hakoda smiles as he grabs his phone off of the nightstand.

"Hello, Ozai?...This is Hakoda calling...It's about those special papers that the dishrag has...yea I know...I have some delicate information I think you'd love to hear...The phone lines aren't safe enough, I'll meet you in the morning at eight at the Shao Ling Plaza."

Hakoda hangs up and leans back in his chair. "This is going to be very entertaining."

**.0.**

"Answer me, Mai!" Zuko shouts. "Where the hell is the rest of it!"

Mai only sits calmly at the mahogany table as she daintily sips her tea. On the outside she's calm and collected. On the inside she's cursing herself like a scorned sailor. How could she be so careless? Zuko has found one of the papers. It's not one of the most important papers but still...

"If you don't calm down you'll have the police at my house."

"Good call them! I want you to call them!" He folds the paper up and puts it in his back pocket. "They'll be taking your dead body away in body bag!"

"Are you threatening me, Zuko?"

"Of course I'm threatening you! I'm going to have to start strangling you if you don't tell me where the rest of this shit is!"

"I'm not telling you anything! You aren't leaving me, you're staying right here!" She stands and bangs her hands on the table. "Right here with me!"

Zuko looks at her. Her heavy breathing an narrowed eyes. Everyday, every single day for three years he had to face this woman. He has no love, no feelings, no connection with this woman. This conniving, manipulating woman. He remembers as soon as he found out that Sozin corp pulled out of the hole he told Mai that he was leaving her that same day. He remembers how she pulled out those papers from the safes and waved them Infront of his face. Zuko remembers how she threatened to expose him and father so that they'll lose everything if he ever leaves her. He remembers how she trapped him.

"If you leave me," she goes around the table and stands In front of him. "I will destroy you and everything you own and love. I will ruin you!" She seethes.

It's at this moment Zuko has had enough. He's done with the whole blackmailing thing, it isn't worth it. His family is fine, but Katara is probably forever lost to him. She'll never forgive him. But that won't stop him from trying again.

_"Do it."_ He dares her. "I don't care what you do with those papers anymore."

Mai's eyes widen as he pulls on his jacket.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" She follows him out into the driveway.

"I'm going to get back the woman that I love, I don't care what you do with yourself." Zuko says as he gets into car and drives off.

Katara calls him a minute later and tells him to meet her at the bridge. Her voice is urgent and high pitched. He doesn't ask why she wants to meet him, he doesn't ask why because he has to talk to her too. When he makes it there she's already waiting for him leaning on the railing. She runs to him and hugs him tightly when she sees him, and he hugs her back just as tightly. It feels like heaven. He closes his eyes and breathes in her scent.

"There's something I have to tell you." He tells her when she pulls away.

"I have to tell you something too. Ever since you came back I've been behaving like a child and I was stubborn and ignorant-"

"Katara-"

"- No, wait a minute Zuko. I was being a bit selfish because I didn't look at it from your point of view. All I knew was that you married someone else for money and-"

"Katara, I left Mai." He says finally. Her eyebrows come together.

"What? But what about those papers she has on you?"

He places his hands on her shoulders. "I don't care anymore. I know I should've done this from the start, fucking years ago. I don't care what Mai does. I love you and only you. I won't let her or anyone else come between that ever again. I hate myself for what I've done, I really do. I just wish and I hope that you would forgive me."

"That's the thing." Katara smiles as she pulls the locket out of her pocket and shows it to him. "I was about to throw this away earlier tonight." She sees Zukos face fall, she opens the locket and looks up at him as the music starts to play. "Then, I remembered just why I held on for so long anyway. Then I though long and hard on the drive up here, could I really throw this away? This is a symbol of us."

Zuko takes the locket from her hands and smiles. "I love you from the top of heavens pillars."

"And I love you all the way down to the bottom pits in hell." Katara finishes. "I couldn't throw that locket away Zuko. I just couldn't do it at all. If I threw that locket away that would mean I would be throwing you away for good."

"I couldn't bring myself to throw our things away either." Zuko shakes his head and falls to his knees. He crushes her body into his. "I'm sorry, Katara. I'm so, so, so sorry."

This is woman he needs.

This is woman he can't go a day without thinking about.

This is the woman he loves! The woman of his dreams! The woman he should've married, who he should've had a family with, who he should still be with to this day!

"It's okay, it's alright now." Katara strokes his hair. She feels her own self begin to cry once she feels his tears soak through her shirt. She kneels down and kisses him, he pulls her closer by her cheeks.

"I forgive you."

For the first time in a long time, Zuko and Katara are happy.

**.0.**

**Contemplating about even updating a new chapter. ... I might. Idk yet.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Story title**: The Casualties of Love

**Author:** XxToToXx

**Full summary: It was three years ago in the summer that the Fire Prince left Katara and married Mai. Now In the fall The seemingly happily married couple returns back to republic city. Zuko sees that Kataras had moved on and is happy, but not everything is as it seems. Hearts will be broken, hidden conspiracies arise, true feelings will be exposed and murderous intentions will be put into action. In this story you will find out that the saying is true, Love can make you do some crazy things.**

_By now you know that _

_ill come for you_

_no one but you_

_yes ill come for you_

_but only if you told me to _

_- Nicklebaack_

**Chapter ten: **On The Roll

"Suki?" Sokka asks when he walks through the front door this morning."Are you home?" He walks around, it's not like her to leave the house without leaving some type of note or something.

She's not in the den or in any of the bathrooms. She isn't even in the basement or in the garage, as a matter of fact her car is gone as well. He scratches his chin, this is quite unusual. His eyes spot an envelope on the kitchen table. He walks over and opens it, his eyes widen at the contents.

It's photos.

Very recent photos of him and Yue.

There's also a note. It's written in Sukis hand writing.

_I hope it was worth it._

**.0.**

Chang yawns as he unlocks his front door one morning. He isn't surprised see Katara standing there. She always comes in the mornings, but he hasn't seen her in a while.

"Katara, what's up?" Chang widens the door to let her in. "If you're looking for Jet he isn't here. If your looking for something else I won't have it until this evening."

"No, as a matter of fact this isn't a social call Chang. I'm here on business and business only." Katara says as she looks around the tiny apartment.

"Oh? Well what can I do you for?" Chang plops down on the couch.

"Just what's your connection with Mai?" She asks him. Chang gives her a look.

"What do you mean what's my connection to her?"

"I'm only asking a question, I've seen you two around town quite a lot and I was just wondering what's going on between you." Katara leans on the bar.

"It's nothing really. Is it wrong to get laid by a married woman every now and then?"

Kataras eyebrows raise. "You're sleeping with her?"

"Yes, is that a crime? It's not like she objects to it." Chang scoffs.

"When will jet be back?"

"I'm not stupid Katara. I may be a little gone in the brain but I'm far from stupid. I know you didn't just come here to ask about Mai." Chang stands and walks a few feet to her. "Jet isn't even your concern right now."

"Fine then. What do you know about the papers. Don't lie to me, I'll be able to tell." Katara crosses her arms over her chest.

"I don't know what your talking about."

"The papers that Mai has. The ones she's hanging over Zukos head."

Chang thinks for a moment. "I know she said something about Zuko won't be able to leave her. Something about laundering and rigging the stock market."

"Yes!" Katara claps her hands together. "Where does she keep them?"

Chang shrugs his shoulders. "Why do you want to know anyway?"

"Because I need them. Just tell me where she has them." Katara puts her hands on her hips.

"What's in it for me?"

Katara sighs. "What do you want?"

"I want money! What else do you think I want. I won't talk without a price." Chang rubs his hands together.

"How much?"

"Well, five grand would be suffice."

"Alright fine!" Katara reaches in her purse and pulls out her check book and a pen. She scribbles quickly and rips the rip off the holder. "Where does she keep them?" She waves the check and Changs money hungry eyes follow it.

"She keeps it in a safe in the basement, but I don't know the code to it, plus you need a key for it as well." Katara let's him snatch the check out of her hand and she watches as he stuffs it in his back pocket.

"Honest, that's exactly where she keeps it though." He stretches. "She's real sour, now she's planning on sabotaging all your fathers businesses. Man, she really hates your guts."

"What? Why?" Kataras eyes widen.

"I don't know, it'll be less competition for her father. She's kind of a puppet if you ask me."

Kataras fists ball up.

"Right, we never had this talk." Chang nods, "I was never here, alright?" Chang nods. Katara slings her purse back on her shoulder and proceeds to walk out. Changs phone rings when she makes it to the door.

"Hello? Oh, hey Tyuya!"

Kataras pauses. Did he just say Tyuya?

"Yes I'm home. You're on your way? Okay, cool. I'll see you in a few minutes." Chang hangs up the phone.

"Chang?" Katara turns to face him.

"Yeah?"

"Whose Tyuya?"

Chang cocks his head a bit. "That's my girlfriend, we're on a off sometimes but she's been here for like three years."

Katara closes the door. "We need to talk."

**.0.**

"Alright." Hakoda says as he sits a brown box down on the long table. "It's come to my attention that there's quite the scandal going on between our children."

Ozai eyes him and then the box. "Just what's this?"

"I have before you the fall of the Houng empire. Now, I don't typically do the entire revenge thing but when it comes down to my little girl I have no warmth in my heart whatsoever."

Hakoda takes a disc from the box and puts it into the DVD player. Ozais face is concentrated and stern, that is, until the movie begins to play. Ozai's eyes widen and he stands to get a closer look. He's instantly disgusted.

"Remember all those allegations about him having his way with underaged girls?" Hakoda asks Ozai. "Remember when he was drunken and behaving in disorderly conduct, or when he was accused of stealing from his own companies, or having numerous affairs?"

"How can someone forget? It was all over the media! But now...I see it's all true."

"Exactly." Hakoda agrees.

"Do you know what this means?" Ozai pulls the box of discs toward him and goes through the discs. "He or his daughter won't be able to black mail us into submission anymore. My son can be free!"

"By the way, did you know that he and Katara are together as we speak?"

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really. Last night Katara was going to throw Zuko out of her life for good, then she looked at that little golden locket he got her."

"The one that sings with the little engravings?" Ozai asks. Hakoda nods. "I helped him pick that out for her when I was searching around for Ursa's anniversary gift."

"I'm just glad they've worked everything out." Hakoda closes the box.

"I still feel ashamed for forcing him into that position. I'll regret that for the rest of my life." Ozai says gravely. Hakoda places his hand on the mans shoulder.

"You had a hard decision to make, Zuko chose to do that for his family. If it were my family, honestly I would've done the same thing."

"Right." Ozai adjusts his tie. "I think it's about time we called that swine in for a little talk."

"I'll get Katara and Zuko up here, they shouldn't be too far."

**.0.**

"You did what!" Zuko yells at her, "please tell me your joking! You said you were just going to go grab some clothes from home!" Zuko holds onto the door handle as Katara speeds the streets to get downtown. "And slow down before you flip us over!"

Last night neither of them went home, Zuko had gotten them a room at a hotel on the ocean shore. Mostly they talked about the old days and they held each other through the night. As much as Katara and Zuko wanted to become intimate they didn't.

Well at least not yet.

"I went to see Chang, Chang told me she keeps them in a safe in the basement-"

"-We don't even have a basement." Zuko inputs.

"No, there's a basement it's just hidden with a secret doorway. I know so because I looked through the house myself last year when I was about to get it." Katara presses down on the accelerator.

"So the whole time she was cheating on me with Chang? I can't believe this, how could I not have known!" Zuko says, "That was grounds for a legal divorce."

"That's not all, that Tyuya person? You know the one whose planning your birthday party?"

Zuko nods.

"That's Changs girlfriend! Tyuya is the woman that Jet was cheating on me with."

"This is all crazy." Zuko says as he pulls out his cell phone and checks it. "So far Mai hasn't tried to call me or text me or anything, that crazy bit-"

"-Ontop of that she's pregnant." Katara makes a quick turn and runs a red light. "She's two months pregnant."

Zukos eyes bulge. "I know it isn't mine! I used protection!"

Katara doesn't say anything.

"Katara! I used protection!" Zuko says again. "Just where are we going anyway?"

"I have to go see Jet."

"Jet? But what for?"

"I have to pick up something from him."

"Pick up what?"

Katara looks at him. "It's nothing. Just wait for me in the car." She puts the car in park and jumps out. Zuko watches as she goes up the stairs of the apartment building and disappears around the corner. He leans back in the passenger seat and let's out a breath.

He's happy, despite all of the craziness in his life. He has back Katara, that's all that matters, plus the two of them are safe and so far he hasn't gotten any news about him or his family.

His phone rings in his hand, it's Hakoda. He hurriedly answers it.

"Hello?"

"Zuko!" Hakodas booming voice is so loud Zuko has to take the phone from his ears a fraction.

"Good morning ."

"Zuko where are you and Katara?" His father asks.

"Dad?"

"Yes Zuko, this is your sperm donor. Now where are you two?" Asks in a bored tone.

"We're downtown right now why?" Zuko pulls open the console between the seats. He expects to see a bundle of candy bars, he didn't expect to see a huge black glock forty staring back at him. He quickly closes it back.

"We need you and Katara to come up to the office." Hakoda says, "There's something you two need to see."

"What are you doing downtown anyway?" Ozai asks.

"Katara said that she had to stop by Jet."

"Jet?" The two men ask in unison.

"Yes, Jet."

"But I thought- you know what? Never mind. You two just get up here as soon as you can."

"Alright, we will."

As soon as Zuko hangs up he gets another call.

Mai

He answers.

"What do you want Mai?"

"Where are you Zuko?"

"That doesn't matter." He tells her, "I know that you're pregnant and I know that that baby isn't mine."

"Zuko," Mai says evenly, "I'm giving you one last chance to stop behaving stupidly with your little whore and to come back home."

A couple of loud booming sounds echo through the car doors, it sounds like gunshots. Zuko ignores it.

"She's not a whore, and my home isn't with you! It's with Katara, I have nothing else to say to you."

"Zuko-" _click._

He's just about to return his lawyers phone call When he looks up he sees Katara quickly running down the stairs.

What's that on her shirt?

When she jumps into the car Zuko realizes it's blood. She quickly puts the car in reverse and speeds away.

"Why is there blood on your shirt? What happened in there?" He shakes her shoulder, when she looks at him her blue eyes are wide. "Are you hurt?"

"Jets dead." She tells him. "Someone _killed_ Jet."

**.0.**

Yue's eyes widen at the site in front of her. Every thing is destroyed, every thing is ruined beyond repair! Someone broke in overnight and vandalized everything. There are paint splatters all over the walls, the clothing, and even the floors. Even bleach has been poured everywhere. Not only that but the windows have been broken as well, but the thing about it is nothing was stolen, not even the money from the cash register.

None of her employees know anything, and none of the other businesses have seen anything. Her pride and joy, her best accomplishment is ruined.

As she walks around the mess she sees something green, golden and white on the floor. She picks it up and realizes that it's a kyioshi warrior charm.

She knows that there is only one kyioshi warrior in the entire republic city. Her blue eyes narrow and she clutches the charm so tightly in her hand that it starts to bleed.

**.0.**

"You idiot!" Mai snaps as she slams the phone down on the table. "I can't believe you let her see you!"

"Look, I'm not an idiot alright!" Chang argues back. As he takes off his black mask. "She only saw my eyes and nothin' else."

"Killing Jet was something that was supposed to be done with smarts!"

"He shouldn't have been fucking my girl!"

"Yeah, just like you shouldn't have been fucking me! Now your psycho girlfriend is probably out to get me." Mai yells.

Chang waves her off.

"This is just great! Now you have murder on you, then you let her see you!" Mai stomps around the room. "Jet should've just minded his own business but, no. He had to go meddling where his nose didn't belong and go to the press about me."

"Just how'd you find that out?"

"Ty Lee not only works as one of the secretaries at Sozin but she works for the Daily Gazette as well on her off days. She has him on tape spilling his guts about me blackmailing Zuko, I don't know how much he was getting paid for it or how he even found out."

"Maybe it was from that Aang kid, you know those two still talk. Katara tells Aang everything and Aang probably told Jet."

Mai answers her phone on the first ring, her fathers calling her. The phone call isn't long. Chang goes through the kitchen cabinets and draws as she converses.

"I have to go and meet my father. You better find her and you better kill her by the time I get back here, and don't touch anything." She tells Chang, he waves her off again and watches her leave.

**.0.**

In a diner on the outskirts of republic city:

"Ohhh, don't worry." Ty Lee pats Sukis back. "That bitch deserved everything we did to her. She had no business sleepin with Sokka."

"You're right." Suki says as she sips her herbal tea. "I don't regret trashing her place, it should've been her. Thanks so much for your help Ty Lee."

"Anytime. Now, do you want something else off of the menu? Maybe some pie or a large fruit tart?"

"No, I'm fine thank you. I'm going to head on back to hotel."

"Are you sure?" Ty Lee stands with her. "You can always stay with me."

"Oh no, I don't want to be a bother."

"That's okay, that's what friends are for." Ty Lee smiles. "Come on, I'll help you to the car." Ty Lee takes hold of her hand.

"I just can't believe Sokka." Suki shakes her head. "I will never forgive him."

_'Good, now you or Yue won't have Sokka anymore. He's all mine now.'_ Ty Lee grins.

**.0.**

"Why didn't you call the police?" Zuko hisses to Katara in the elevator. "Katara? Do you hear me?"

"Yes I hear you!" She puts her phone away and straightens out her new t shirt. "I wasn't gonna call the police! Are you crazy? Have you not watched first 48 or CSI? They would've taken me to jail! My prints are all over that place!"

"So did you touch the body?"

Katara doesn't answer.

"Did you touch the body!?"

"Of course I touched the damn body!" She throws her hands up in the air. "I went in and Jet was sitting on the couch the next thing I know Jets pushing me out the way of bullets. He falls on me and gets blood all over me and when I look up this masked man is staring down at me!"

"I knew I should've stopped you from going there!"

She adjusts the gun in her pants.

Zuko looks at her like she's crazy. "I cannot believe you bought that in here! Is that even yours?"

"Of course it's mine!" She argues back. "You think I'm going to walk around unprotected? Suppose I can't bend in time."

Zuko sighs and rubs his eyes.

"Just be calm about it, I'll figure something out." Katara says. When the elevator doors open they walk down the hall to Ozais office. Once inside they see Hakoda and Ozai sitting at one end and Mai and her father at another.

"Hello Zuko." Mai greets Zuko as casually as ever. Katara frowns at her and Zuko glares.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Zuko and Katara ask in unison.

"Before anything goes down I want us all to sit and talk about this like adults." Hakoda says. "Katara, Zuko, please have a seat."

Katara walks closely behind Zuko to the end of the table with her father. The table isn't that long, they are still fairly close to Mai and her father.

"Now, what's this all about?" Mai's father asks arrogantly, "I have things to do today, Ozai."

"As the same goes for me." Mai says, her eyes never leave Zuko and Katara.

"It's come to my attention that your daughter has some important information from my sons safe, and that she's currently using it against him to make him stay with her." Ozai says lowly.

"Actually, I've left her. I'm sure her and Chang and that baby will have a nice life together." Zuko comments coldly.

"What baby?" Mai's father asks. She doesn't reply.

"Go ahead and tell your father about the baby you're carrying." Katara folds her arms over her chest.

"I don't care as long as it's not my sons child. What I want for you to do is hand over those papers." Ozai demands. Mai only smirks.

"What papers is he talking about Mai?" Her father questions. "You can't mean those stock and laundering papers?"

"Those papers exactly." Hakoda says.

"I didn't know a thing about this!" Her father announces. "I thought he only stuck with her because he loved her I didn't know she was black mailing him!"

"Just hand over the papers Mai and this'll all be over. You can keep the house and the car and everything. Just hand over those papers." Zuko says calmly, but on the inside he wants the choke the hell out of her.

"No." She says curly.

"Very well." Hakoda says as he presses play on the DVD player. Mai's father gasps and curses under his breath. Zuko shields Kataras eyes and mai sits there coldly.

"If your daughter doesn't hand over those papers I'll send this to every news station, every magazine and every police station in the entire world. You won't be able to work another day as a business man in your life." Ozai threatens.

"For God sakes Mai just give them the damn papers!" Her father pleads as sweat beats at his brow.

Mai stands while keeping eye contact with Zuko. "No." She says defiantly. "You'll never get those damned papers." She turns to Katara. "Especially you, since you want to run around with a married man like the little home wrecking slut you are." The next events happen so fast. All Zuko could see was Mai's spit flying across the table and hitting Katara dead in the forehead. Then Katara rises from the chair with outstretched arms and manages to grab Mai by the hair of her bun and and bring her down face first into the table. It's a barrage of hair pulling, mostly done by Mai and a flurry of fists hitting pure bone by katara.

Mind you, Katara may be a very professional person but she does not tolerate disrespect. As long as Zuko has known her she's always been a fighter, probably because she was raised around a lot of boys.

While Mai's father puts up a fuss and yells at Mai to quit embarrassing him Hakoda attempts to pull his daughter away, he's done this a lot of times when she and Sokka were little kids.

"This is a Valentino suit," Ozai says when Hakoda looks at him for help, "I'm not about to damage this."

Zuko refuses to help mainly because he thinks that Mai deserves a good beating.

"You'll be hearing from my lawyer about this." Main says as she straightens her top. Her hair is down and there's a bruise forming on her cheek, not to mention the trickle of blood that's on her chin.

"Let's go father." She demands as she pulls at the mans arm. Her father continuously tells them that he'll fix it, and begs them not to send out the tapes as he walks away.

"Are you okay?" Zuko asks Katara. He takes a Kleenex and wipes her face.

"I'm fine." She says.

"So what now?" Zuko turns to Hakoda and Ozai. "Do we wait on them or do we let the videos out?"

"Neither." Katara says as she reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone. "We get those files ourselves."

**Read and review.**

**BTW does anyone have any good Zutara ideas for a music fic? **


	11. Chapter 11

**Story Title**: The Casualties of Love

**Author**: XxToToXx

**Full summary:It was three years ago in the summer that the Fire Prince left Katara and married Mai. Now In the fall The seemingly happily married couple returns back to republic city. Zuko sees that Kataras had moved on and is happy, but not everything is as it seems. Hearts will be broken, hidden conspiracies arise, true feelings will be exposed and murderous intentions will be put into action. In this story you will find out that the saying is true, Love can make you do some crazy things.**

**Chapter Eleven: In the Rabbit Hole**

"I cannot believe this!" Sokka says as he paces back and forth in his living room. Aang and Lu Ten watch him fret and stress. "This is all my fault!"

"You're damn right it is!" Lu Ten comments as he tosses a skittle in his mouth. "I can't even run two women at a time and I'm like a gift from the fucking Gods! But you my friend, you've really messed up."

"Why would you do that Sokka? You know Suki loves you, she's about to give birth to your kid soon!" Aang frowns.

"I know Suki loves me it's just that I still love Yue and Yue still loves me and one thing led to another! I didn't mean for it to go that far, honest!" Sokka falls down on the sofa. "Now Suki's gone and I've probably lost Yue too!"

"So what are you gonna do?" Aang asks. "You can't have your cake and eat it too."

"I've tried to find Suki but she's not answering her phone, she won't reply to text messages, her parents don't even know where she is. They may just be covering for her, you know they hate my guts. I havent spoken to Yue either."

"That reminds me!" Lu Ten snaps his fingers. "Did you know that someone broke into her shop?"

"No, when did this happen?" Aang sits up.

"Sometime between last night and early this morning. I have a friend who works at the bakery across the street and he says that the entire place is ruined beyond repair. The clothing, the walls and the floors are all messed up."

"No one saw who did it?" Sokka asks. "It's in the busiest section in the city, someone was sure to see something."

"No one saw a face, all they say they saw was two figures in all black go around to the back of the place. One of them was really small while the other was big and pregnant."

"Big and pregnant?" Aangs eyebrows come together. "Do you think that could've been Suki?"

"No way! Suki would never do something like that, you know how many pregnant women there are in republic city? Hundreds!" Sokka throws his hands up in the air.

"Well, it is quite a possibility." Lu Ten says as he stands and dusts off his hands. "You know that Yue, she's too sweet and kind. Those are the main women who have the biggest mean streak in them. Take Katara for example, remember how she was when Zuko left off with Mai?"

"Who can forget? She was terrible, I was too scared to even talk around her." Aang puts a hand on his chest.

"What? My sister wasn't that bad!" Sokka argues.

"Sokka!" Lu Ten puts his hands on his hips. "She beat you up, you were even fighting her back and she beat you up!"

"She nearly ran me over with her car, and I only asked her had she been to the gym lately." Aang adds.

"Look, that's not the point. I really doubt that

Suki did that, she wouldn't put the kid in danger." Sokka tells them.

"Well, I think that Suki did do it. I guess she got tired of always being having the compete for your love, she finally got the proof that you were messing over her with Yue and she went off and destroyed the girls pride and joy." Lu Ten evaluates.

"So now she's a woman scorned and she can't be found. I think that she had some help doing this."

"Yeah but who?" Lu Ten asks. "It couldn't have been Katara, Katara is friends with both Yue and Suki so knowing her I doubt she'll get in between that."

"Well, I know it wasn't Katara. She's been with Zuko ever since yesterday, well last night I mean." Aang interrupts them. "She has an alibi.

"What do you mean she was with him last night?" Sokka crosses his arms. "Zuko is married isn't he?"

"Zuko left Mai, he told me that he didn't care about some papers that she has." Aang shrugs. "I guess he and Katara are back together."

"Come to think of it," Lu Ten looks at the other two boys. "Yue and Katara aren't friends right now. A chick I was sleeping with said that they had an argument one day in Katara's office. Apparently Yue confronted Katara about Chang and using those pills-"

"What pills? My sister isn't on drugs!" Sokka shouts.

"I don't know if she still is but she was before the fight. Yue said that she even saw her."

"That's a lie. I need to go and find Suki." Sokka says as he pulls on his jacket.

"I'll go with you just in case." Aang stands.

"Yeah, I guess I'll go too." Lu Ten joins in. "Let's just hope we find Suki before Yue does."

**.0.**

Zuko sits in the living room of Hakodas home. With him are Iroh, Ursa, and Ozai. Katara has left saying that she was goin to get her medicine from the pharmacy. Zuko was persistent on going with her but she declined. She said that she'll be right back, but It may take some time because she's going to get Azula and Toph. Zuko counts the minutes on his watch. She's only been gone for six minutes, he has a bad feeling about letting her go out there alone. Zuko sighs heavily. Hakoda pours him a shot of brown liquor. He quickly guzzles It down.

"I could've called the chauffeur to get my daughter, or she could've just driven herself

over here." Ozai takes a shot to the head and slams the glass back down.

"Azula doesn't like the driver plus she's not supposed to be driving at night." Ursa say as she puts her hands on her husbands shoulders.

"They'll be back soon, don't worry. Your house is only a couple of miles away." Iroh pats his belly. "The pharmacy isn't out of the way that much."

"I should've went with her. I don't trust Mai and I sure as hell don't trust Chang." Zuko pours himself another shot.

"Chang?" Ursa asks. "What's going on with Chang? What does Chang have to do with this?"

"Mai is pregnant for Chang she was cheating for God knows how long. I only found out when Katara told me, she found out from Chang. I don't know what ties Katara has with him but he told her about Mai."

Hakoda steps out of the room to answer a phone call and Ursa takes a seat besides her husband. "I thought Chang was put in jail for good? Just now did he get out?"

"Who knows? It all just feels like a soap opera to me." Zuko mutters.

"At least we are all here, well most of us." Ozai looks around. "Where is Hakodas boy and the monk?"

"I don't see Lu Ten either." Iroh frowns. "Wherever my boy is, wherever all the boys are I'm sure they're fine."

"I'll see if I can get in touch with them." Zuko says and pulls out his phone. "Now really isn't the time for us to be separated."

"Not do we have our children to worry about but we have our futures as well." Ozai sighs. "That girls father has yet to contact us."

"I knew he shouldn't have married that dreadful girl!" Ursa huffs. "I always knew she was bad business."

"Lu Ten said he and Sokka and Aang are out looking for Suki." Zuko tells them. "Yues boutique was trashed a while earlier. They think that Suki did it."

Hakoda comes back into the room. "Suki isn't the only person that's missing, Yue is missing too. Arnook said when she left she took the guns out of his office."

"Oh my goodness." Ursa gasps. "Just what is going on here?"

"Not only that," Hakoda sits down in his big armchair. "Jet was killed earlier today in his apartment. Sangok says that Katara's prints are all over the place. They're looking for her to question her."

"So they think that Katara may have had something to do with Jets murder?" Iroh asks.

"Exactly." Hakoda sighs.

Zuko jumps up. "What? Katara didn't kill Jet! I know she didn't because I was with her!"

"What do you mean you were with her?" Ozai's eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare tell me that you've become an accomplice to murder!"

"I didn't help her murder anyone! Remember that I was on the phone with you and Hakoda the entire time. When Katara got back in the car we left and went to your office." Zuko shouts. "Katara didn't do anything!"

"Then why exactly were you at Jets house?" Ursa asks.

"Katara said that she had to pick something up from him. I don't know what it was."

"My lord, this is even worse than when Ty Lee went crazy because she couldn't get with Sokka. Do you rememberer? How she would follow him around but he was with Yue at the moment?" Ozai asks them. "The boy had to put out a restraining order."

"Who can forget that? Katara and the others should be back here any minute. I'll get our lawyer on the ball just in case something comes up." Hakoda announces.

"Wait, what did you just say mother?" Zuko turns to face Ursa.

"I said that Ty Lee went crazy because she couldn't get with Sokka. Then when he and Yue broke up she tried desperately again, when Suki and Sokka got together she befriended Suki. It was the talk of the city. You probably don't remember it, this was during the summer when you were away for your fire bending training."

"That was before I met Katara wasn't it?"

"Yes, I believe it was." Ursa pours herself a cup of tea with shaking hands. Ozai holds them for her, she gives him an unsure smile. The woman's nerves gets rattled pretty easily.

"That girl gave me the creeps, I can't believe you even hired her Ozai." Hakoda says as he flips through pages in a notebook. "I understand that theirs good in everyone but still..."

"So Ty Lee is friends with Suki?" Zuko asks, his mind is slowly connecting two and two together.

"Quite good friends." Iroh says. "Almost best friends If you ask me."

"And Ty Lee is crazy, and she's still crazy for Sokka?"

"Is she?" Ozai scoffs. "She isn't too broad about it like she used to be but you can always tell. There's still something a bit off about her, but she does amazing work."

"Where does Ty Lee live? Is she still with her parents?" Zuko stands and grabs his car keys off of the table.

"I think so, well that's what she put on the application." Ozai answers. "Why?"

"I think I know where to find Suki, or where to start at least. Call me as soon Katara gets back." He gets on the phone and calls Sokka.

"What? Zuko! Come back here!" Ursa shouts as Zuko runs out the front door and pulls off in his car.

**.0.**

The water tribe girl has followed her two targets to a quaint little suburb on the other side of republic city. Gloved hands grip the steering wheel tightly as her icy blue eyes narrow at the house on the corner. It's the evening time, only half past six, but it's still dark. Yue has been waiting for the girls parents to leave for three hours. She has linked two and two together, and have rewinded back the street cameras and the cameras Inside her store about a thousand times before she found out who the culprit was.

Suki and Ty Lee.

Yue doesn't stop to wonder why Sokka allows Suki to be friends with that crazed maniac Ty Lee, or maybe he doesn't know.

Either way Yue doesn't care.

She's tired of being walked on.

She's tired of living with this broken heart.

She's tired of looking at what should rightfully be hers.

She's tired of Sokka always putting her second to Suki.

She's tired of being played with.

She's tired of being nice.

Now someone's going to pay with their lives.

Ty Lee has always been causing problems while she and Sokka were together, the acrobat has no respect for ones relationship. She shouldn't have had those nights with Sokka, Yue knows that she should not have done that. Not only has Suki taken away the love of her life she's destroyed her most prize accomplishment in life. This is more than just about Sokka.

This is personal.

This confrontation is way overdue.

She waits until all of the lights go out in the home and gets out of the car, the guns placed securely in her jeans. Her boots crunch on the gravel under her feet as she jogs around the back of the two story house. From what it appears they've gone to sleep for the night, figures. She picks at a the lock of the back door and creeps in. She learned about picking locks from Katara, who learned from Sokka, who learned from God knows who. She pushes the door open, luckily for her it doesn't creak. Yue enters the dark house with light feet and silently shuts the door behind her.

Yue looks around the dark kitchen before moving on up to the stairs. She pulls out the already cocked ruger and holds it in her right hand. She creeps down the narrow hall fully alert. She remembers a time when she would've been too scared to do something like this, not anymore. She pushes open the first bedroom door, it's empty. As for the second one is empty too. Her heart races as she nears the end of the hall where a door is slightly open. A light shines halfway into the hallway and despite the tingling hairs that's are rising on the back of Yues neck she goes closer. She peeks her eye into the room and her eyes widen at what she's sees.

Ty Lee is poised carefully over Suki's sleeping body with a knife in hand at her throat.

She's going to kill Suki.

No, she's not going to kill Suki. Yue smashes the door open and aims the gun at the startled Ty Lee.

"What are you doing here!" The other girl growls. "You must have come to get the same treatment as her!"

"You're sick!" Yue retorts. "You're a sick, sociopathic, bipolar bitch!" She sees Suki stir in her sleep, her eyes flutter open and jumps with a gasp. "You two," Yue moves the gun from one woman to the next, "you two ruin everything!"

"You've ruined my life too! Sokka is mine! Me helping Suki tear up your perfect little boutique was all a part of my plan!" Ty Lees brown eyes are blazing wih hatred. "That's why we couldn't ever be together, you two were always in the way!"

It all happened so fast. Ty Lee charges towards Yue with the knife raised with intentions to kill.

Pow! Pow! Pow!

Suki screams as Ty Lees body drops to the ground. A pool of blood soon appears under her still body. Suki curls in the corner of the bed with heavy breathing, she looks at Yue then back down at Ty Lee. She jumps when Yue comes back to her senses and aims the gun at her.

"I'm so sick and I'm so tired of you!" Yue's hand shakes as she holds the gun aimed at Sukis head. "You've taken away the love of my life, you've ruined my most prominent business, you've made me look like a total fool in front of everyone!"

"Yue, just let me explain!" Suki says with a shaky voice. "I admit I ruined your place, but you had no business sleeping with him!"

Yues eyes narrow at her. She can hear car doors and then footsteps coming up the stairs.

"He was mine first!" She screams with tears pouring down her eyes. "He was mine first and you took him away from me!"

"Yue!" Someone calls her name from behind. She doesn't turn around, it's Sokka. It's Sokka, Lu Ten and Zuko. "Yue put the gun down!"

Lu Ten and Zukos eyes widen as they see Ty Lee dead on the floor. Sokka takes a cautious step towards her. She moves the gun to him.

"No!" She angrily yells, "do you have any idea what you've done! Do you even know what pain you've caused? Do you even know what it's like to be the other woman when you were once the only woman?"

"Yue, you're not thinking clearly here. What Sokka did was very stupid, but it's not worth throwing your life away about." Lu Ten says as he raises his hands in a defensive mode. "Yue the police are on the way, they know what's going on here. Please, don't be stupid."

All while Zuko walks along the wall to get to Suki. His stomach turns because Ty Lees lifeless eyes seem to follow him. He reaches out his hands to Suki who quickly grabs them and gets out of the bed.

"No, it's not worth my life!" She spins and aims at Sokka. "You did this!" She fires out a single shot. Sokka quickly ducks to the side and drops to the floor. Lu Ten tackles Yue to the ground and Sokka pries the gun away from her hands.

"Let go of me! Let me go!" Yue kicks and screams and cries and tries to attack a sorrowful Sokka. Even when she's placed in the back a cop car she throws her tantrum, cursing the police and kicking the seats. Sokka and Suki head on down to the police station, Aang trails behind them.

"Love can make you do some crazy things." Lu Ten shudders as he rides with Zuko to go back to their families.

"Tell me about it." Zuko sighs.

"I almost thought she hit him, she had a clear shot. Where's Katara?"

"She said she was gonna go pick up Azula and Toph and go to the pharmacy for her medicine."

"...How long ago was that?"

"Since six."

"Zuko, that pharmacy closes at four every Friday, Zuko it's nine at night!"

"Shit!" Zuko curses as he hits the steering wheel. "God dammit! I knew I shouldn't have let her leave!"

"There's crazy shit going on right now man. We need to stick together as much as possible!" Lu Ten checks his phone as it beeps.

"Whose that? Is that Iroh or Hakoda or someone?" Zuko mashes down on the accelerator.

"No, it's a news report." Lu Ten responds. "It says here that business mogul Fuguka Houng was found dead this evening in his beachfront mansion on the belle view. Sources say that arguing was heard then everything went silent. Shots were later fired at the residence and when authorities arrived they found Houng slumped over the stairs with multiple knife wounds."

"Shit, we have to find Katara, Toph and Azula."

Zuko pushes down on the accelerator once more and zips through the streets back to his parents home.

**.0.**

"I can't believe she was seeing Chang the whole time!" Azula says in exasperation and she leans back in the drivers seat. Her black Italian gloved hands grip the steering with aggression. "Now Chang's her little puppet and there's not a doubt in mind that Chang is the one that killed Jet because Jet was sleeping with Tyuya behind his back."

"Some best friends." Toph says from the backseat, "this is all really some fucked up bullshit."

"I always knew she had a thing for him." Azula exhales a cloud of steam from her nostrils. "Fucking bitch! Then she cheated on my brother, she's blackmailing him to stay with her! This has gone too far!" Azula's eyes narrow.

Azula reminds Katara of Sokka. Sokka always picks on Katara and cracks jokes, but one thing Sokka won't tolerate is someone disrespecting and mistreating his little sister. Azula have Zuko hell growing up, and she still has her conniving and cunning ways. They are still little sister and big brother. That's a bond you just can't mess with.

"Holy fuck!" Toph gasps.

"Watch your mouth Toph!" Katara reaches in the backseat and slaps Tophs leg.

"No, listen! They just found Mai's dad dead in his house! It says that he died from multiple stab wounds."

"It had to be Mai! I know it was!" Katara says. "She's the only one I know that would bring a knife to a gun fight."

"That's not all," Toph scrolls down the screen. "Yues in jail and Ty Lee's been murdered."

"Ty Lee?" Azula takes her eyes off the road to look at Toph through the rear view mirror.

"Yes, Ty Lee. They don't have the full story, but Yues in jail and about to be put into custody."

"Custody?" Katara questions. "Just what-"

"We're here." Azula cut her off as she parks a street away from Mai's house. They are all dressed in black with gloves and scarves hide their mouths. See, when Katara left her fathers house she didn't go to the pharmacy. The pharmacy closed early today, she went straight on to get Azula and Toph. They've already come up with the plan to break into Mai's house and get that safe.

They hop out of the car and take the back route behind Mai's house. There's a little alleyway there between the two houses. Nothing stands in their way except for the tall wooden fence and Toph earth bends her way across, leaving Zuko and Katara to climb.

"Damn, good thing I'm not out of shape!" Katara grunts as she pulls her body up over the fence after Azula.

"What if we get caught?" Toph asks.

"I don't know about you two, but I don't are if I get caught or not, as long as one of us gets out of here with those papers." Katara brushes her hands.

"This should've been done a long time ago." Azula snaps her gloves in place and ties her mouth and nose.

"Do they have an alarm?" Toph asks as they crouch low on the ground and crawl through the bushes to get to the back door.

"All of the houses over here have security, but they have to activate it whenever they get ready. I don't think Zuko ever activated it." Azula says, "this house doesn't have a sign in the yard or anything."

"I'll pick the lock." Katara tells them as she pulls out her tools and works on the lock. Azula keeps a lookout. "Anyone in there Toph?"

"No, no one. It's completely empty."

"Good. Azula," said girl looks back at them. She was peering around the side of the house. "We're in." Katara pushes the door open. The three walk In and shut the door behind them.

"The basements this way." Katara leads them through the kitchen to a secret door in the floor. She pulls open the latch, Azula gets down on her knees and ignites a blue flame. She peers down into the hole.

"It's dark down there, but I can see a light switch. The ladder doesn't look to study, it's best not to use the steps, just slide down. I'll go first." Azula goes down the ladder and then them flicks the light on for them. Next is Toph and then Katara.

"There it is," Katara says. "There's the safe." She runs over and bends down on her haunches.

"Stand back sugar queen, I got this." Toph cracks her knuckles and bends her hands. The metal in the safe clicks and shakes before it explodes open.

"Pretty impressive." Azula drawls in approval with a hand on her hip.

"Appreciated, Grumpy." Toph replies. Katara opens the safe wider and her eyes widen.

"They aren't here." She says.

"What? You've got to be kidding me!" Toph throws her hands up.

"What do mean they aren't there?" Azula goes over. "Then where the fuck are they?

"Awww, don't tell me you're disappointed." A voice says from the back of the dusty room.

"Chang." Azulas eyes narrow as she ignites her fists. Chang emerges from the shadows.

"Nice to see you again Azula, I see you still clean up nice." He grins at her as he takes her body in.

"Where are the papers? You lying scum, you said they'd be here!" Katara pulls water from her pouch, "where are they!"

"Tell the truth! I'd listen if I were you." Toph threatens. Chang reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a thick stack of folded over papers.

"You mean these?" He waves them left and right. "This is why you're going all crazy? See, I'm keeping these papers. I'm going to take your little boyfriends entire fortune." He stuffs them back into his pocket and pulls out a magnum, he aims it at Katara.

"Now, I know no one knows you three even came here. So, I'll be perfectly clean." He cocks back the top.

"You ingrate!" Azula shouts as she kicks a trail of blue fire at change, in that same second Chang fires two shots.

Azula, even though she's a prodigy, cant move out of the way quick enough.

Toph bends up a stone that wraps around Changs wrist, but that can't bring that bullet back.

Katara pushes Azula out of the way just in time and takes the bullets herself.

**READ AND REVIEW**


	12. Chapter 12

**Story Title:** The Casualties of Love

**Author**: XxToToXx

**Full summary:It was three years ago in the summer that the Fire Prince left Katara and married Mai. Now In the fall The seemingly happily married couple returns back to republic city. Zuko sees that Kataras had moved on and is happy, but not everything is as it seems. Hearts will be broken, hidden conspiracies arise, true feelings will be exposed and murderous intentions will be put into action. In this story you will find out that the saying is true, Love can make you do some crazy things.**

**Chapter Twelve: More Trouble**

"It's okay." Azula says as she speeds through the streets to the nearest hospital. She looks back at her friend whose head is laying in Tophs lap. "Just breathe...dammit Katara! You fucking breathe! Do you hear me?"

"Her heartbeat is strong." Toph says from the backseat with a shaky voice, "but it's getting more and more spaced out-"

"-shit!" Azula curses as she nearly flips the car over. Katara groans from the backseat. The bullet that Chang fired entered her side and has lodged itself in her body. An artery was punctured and she's lost a lot of blood already, she only has a matter of time before it's too late. Chang lays dead in the Mai's basement, his heart completely obliterated.

"Why isn't she healing?" Azula asks. "Can't you bend the bullet out or something?" Azula mashes on the accelerator. "You're a fucking waterbender Katara, heal yourself!"

"I can't do that! That's too dangerous and it'll only make things worse!" Toph wipes her blood soaked hands on her dark clothing, tears fall down her eyes. The girl isn't moving, she isn't responding anymore but she's still breathing. "Just hang on Katara, please."

"We're here." Azula speeds into the emergency room drop off and hops out of the car. She bursts through the doors and startles off the nurses and doctors. "I need help!" She tells them. They only look at her strangely, some go back to their own business. The heiresses eyebrow twitches and she walks further into the building.

"I said I need help!" She repeats.

A nurse approaches her with her hands on her hips. "Ma'am, you'll just have to wait in line like the other-" in the blink of an eyes Azula grabs the woman by the collar and slams her against the wall. Azula's eyes narrow dangerously and smoke emits from her nostrils.

"My name is _Azula Agni_. I am the daughter of Ozai Agni and the granddaughter of Azulon Agni. If you want to have a job anywhere in this known world you will go out there and you will help my friend. Do I make myself clear?" She says murderously.

The woman shakes in fear and nods in compliance. Azula drops her down and the nurse rallies another nurse and a doctor. The team heads out to the car and soon Katara is being bought in on a stretcher. They rush her into the back and Toph comes in soon after.

"She's going to make it isn't she?" Toph asks weakly. "she has to."

Azula looks down at the girl. What could she tell her? Katara has lost so much blood! "She make it. She's going to live." She pulls out her blood covered hand and calls their families. She readjusts her jacket. Inside of the jacket lies her families future, and a token of her friends bravery.

**.0.**

Detective Hyu looks from Suki back to Sokka. "Let me get this straight, you're saying that you don't want to press charges?"

Suki slowly nods her head. Her face is puffy from all of the crying she's been doing for the past two hours. She's tired and she wants nothing more than to go home and go to sleep. They bought her in to the police station to file charges against Yue. Yue wanted kill her for ruining her life, taking her love away from her and making her miserable. At first Suki was going to have her put away in jail for a long time, but she's thought about everything and she sees clearly now.

"I don't want to press charges against her. Yue killed Ty Lee because Ty Lee tried to kill me. She could've killed me too but she didn't." Suki looks up at the detective with red eyes. "She saved my life and the life of my baby in a way. It was me who trashed her boutique. I destroyed everything because Ty Lee sent me the pictures of her and Sokka together. I didn't know anything about how crazy over Sokka Ty Lee was. She set me up from the jump and I fell for it. She wanted me out of the way so she could have Sokka to herself."

"I never even knew she and Ty Lee were friends. This is all my fault." Sokka places his head in his hands. Suki doesn't try to comfort him. She doesn't even want to be in the same room with him Lessing on touching him.

" says that she admits to seeing Sokka." Detective Hyu leans back in his chair and closes his file. "She says she's leaving the city if she gets off."

Sokka raises his head. "What?"

Suki looks at him sideways. "I don't want to press charges on her. I want to see her."

"Why?" Detective Hyu asks. "I don't think she wants to talk to anyone. Besides, her father is almost here to pick her up."

Suki stands. "It's something just between us two that we need to talk about. It's long overdue, this has to be done."

"Suki, what are you talking about?" Sokka looks up at her. "Why do you-"

"-I'm not talking to you!" Suki snaps. He sighs and turns back to the detective. "Please."

Detective Hyu looks at her for a moment before letting out a breath. He stands and goes to the door. He tells the policeman that's standing outside to escort her to Yue. He obliges and Suki leaves the room. The detective sits back down and stares at Sokka.

"You guys sure you don't want to press charges?"

"I'm sure." Sokka says lowly. "I just don't know why I even..."

"Let me tell you something son. I've been in your shoes many, many, many years ago. Love can make you do some crazy shit. It will drive you insane and would make you behave in ways you never thought possible. When you're in love with someone as strongly as I know you're in love, someone's gonna get hurt."

"I made a mistake." Sokka raises his eyes. "I made a terrible, terrible mistake."

"You didn't make a mistake. That's the works of the world showing you who you're supposed to be really be with."

"Who am I supposed to be with? I'm in love with both of them!"

"No, you're not." Detective Hyu scoffs.

"How do you know?"

"You told me."

"When?"

"You told me when you put up that huge fight to see Yue. You showed me when you were so concerned about her whereabouts, when you insisted on talking to her instead of the woman that you got pregnant. You showed me when Suki was telling her statement and you wouldn't take your eyes off of Yue's door."

Sokka says nothing. Detective Chang continues.

"You may have gotten Suki pregnant, but come on now man. You know you don't lover her at all, well, you don't love her the way you love Yue. When Yue left you had no choice but to stay with Suki because she was pregnant for you and you wouldn't let her go through the pregnancy alone. The woman you really love is in that room right across the hall. And you know what else?"

"What?"

"Suki knows that. She knows you'll never love her like that."

Sokka puts his eyes back on the ground and holds his head again.

**.0.**

"What do you want?" Yue asks coldly from the bench in her room. Were they crazy? They let the two woman be alone in a room! They could kill one another for all they know. Suki musters up the voice that she hasn't used in a long time.

"I'm sorry that I trashed your place. I'm woman enough to admit that I was wrong for doing that. Honestly, I don't regret doing it though." She places her hands on her stomach. "You and Sokka were supposed to have been over. I should've known that it wasn't really true."

"Is that all you came to say?" Yue stands when she hears her father outside of the room.

"No."

"Then what?"

"You and Sokka were meant to be together. You're right, I did take away your happiness and break you two up. No matter what I saw and no matter what people said I still thrived to break you two apart. I may have his child but you have his heart. That's something I could never have, not that way you have it."

Yue's face softens but she says nothing.

"I should've known that I couldn't compete with you. I never should have even tried, but I won't try anymore." Suki says. "I'm done with this love triangle." She turns and leaves out the room. A few seconds later the policeman pulls Yue out as well. In the hallway are Sokka, Suki and Arnook. Her father rushes over to her and pulls her into a strong hug.

"It's Katara." Aang pants. He's out of breath from all the running. "She's been hurt!" He drops to the floor with tears rolling down his cheeks. "The doctors say...they say..Azula said that..."

"What? What did they say?!" Sokka yells frantically.

"They say that it doesn't look good." Aang says gravely. Sokka's eyes widen in fright. He, Aang, Suki, Arnook and Yue speed off to the hospital.

**.0.**

"Hello?" A voice drawls from the other end of the phone.

"She's here. They just bought her in."

"Who else is there?"

"Friends and family, I heard that Zuko and the other guy is on his way."

"You know what to do."

"Right."

She hangs up the phone and stuff it back into her scrubs.

"Payback is a bitch, little miss Katara." The woman says as she injects a green fluid into a syringe and puts the needle In her pocket. "Karma has missed you too many times, it's time to take this into my own hands. Chang and Jet? You won't get away with this."

**I know this is short, but the next chapter will be better. Will Katara die? Wait and find out :)**

**By the way, I appreciate these reviews!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Story Title:** The Casualties of Love

**Author**:XxToToXx

**Full summary:It was three years ago in the summer that the Fire Prince left Katara and married Mai. Now In the fall The seemingly happily married couple returns back to republic city. Zuko sees that Kataras had moved on and is happy, but not everything is as it seems. Hearts will be broken, hidden conspiracies arise, true feelings will be exposed and murderous intentions will be put into action. In this story you will find out that the saying is true, Love can make you do some crazy things.**

**Chapter Thirteen: Suspense**

"Are you alright?" Ozai asks Azula. The woman sits slumped down in the hospital chair outside of Katara's room. She's just gotten allowed back in by the hospital supervisor. Azula put a quite the scene when they wouldn't allow her to be in the room when they wouldn't let her go in.

"She was the first friend I ever made besides Zuko." She says lowly with furrowed eyebrows and pouted lips. "I can't believe I let that attack happen." She shakes her head and her eyes water. She quickly wipes her eyes before the tears spill. Ursa rubs her daughters back and looks up at Ozai with a knowing look. Besides her Toph keeps her head in between her knees and sniffles.

"It's alright, she'll pull through." Ozai says.

Azula looks up at her father and then back down at her hands.

**.0.**

Arnook puts a hand on Hakoda's shoulder as the man watches the three members of the Agni family. Hakoda pulls in a shaky breath and drinks his coffee.

"She'll be fine." Bato says. "She's an advanced healer, she's a water bender for spirits sake. She's probably in there healing herself right now."

"She isn't healing." All eyes turn to Yue. "The doctors say she isn't trying to heal herself."

Suki cries and Sokka hangs his head in his hands.

"She's strong! Don't insinuate that she won't survive this." Zuko says sternly. "She's strong, I know she's strong." He bows his head again. "This is all my fault."

"You're right! You're absolutely right, it's all your fault!" Aang stands. "You never should've married Mai, why did you even come back?"

Zuko, Aang, calm down." Lu Ten tells the boys, "now isn't the time for fighting."

"Is this really all about her condition?" Zuko counters, "or is if that I have her and you don't?"

Aang freezes and his fists clench. "Shut up!"

"Zuko, Aang, this isn't-" Sokka stands up as well.

"-It's true! You were always jealous of me and Katara even before we were officially together."

"I said shut up before I blow you out of this building!"

"Go ahead and do it!"

Yue puts her arms around aang's shoulders am steers him away before a fight could break out. "Let's go Aang."

Zuko turns away roughly, fire flaring from his fists.

"Now is not the time for friends to turn on friends." Arnook says solemnly. "This is not the time nor the place."

"Arnook is right, that will only make matters worse." Iroh agrees.

Zuko kicks the wall out of anger before slumping down with his back against it and his head in his hands.

A few minutes later the doctor walks out into the hallway, hopefully with good news. Judging from the look on the mans face it doesn't look like he has anything good to tell them.

**.0.**

**Suspenseful huh? Read and review**

**next chapter will be longer**


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